The Fox Girl
by swirlheart
Summary: Naruto's new mission takes him and his team to a village where the children disappear at night. Things become complicated when it's discovered that something has been taking the souls of the young villagers. He has to fight to protect his friends and return the souls that were taken from them. Please read and review - Rated T just to be safe.
1. Chapter 1

**The Fox Girl**

summery: Naruto's new mission takes him and his team to a village where the children disappear at night. Things become complicated when it's discovered that something has been taking the souls of the young villagers. He has to fight to protect his friends and return the souls that were taken from them.

Naruto and its characters belongs to Masashi Kishimoto. This is just a fanfiction. I make no profit. This was just written for fun. The only thing I own is my imagination and the OCs that appear. Like the Fox Girl and assorted others.

**Chapter 1:**

The carriage rolled along in the sunshine under the blue dome of the sky. The carriage jolted and swayed so much on the uneven road that Naruto bumped his head several times. The deep dark red lacquer of the coach looked almost black in the shade of the woods. The driver didn't wear a uniform, choosing to dress as a normal civilian instead. The carriage was by no means fancy or expensive. It was so small, only one horse was needed to pull it.

Its hooves clopped along the road rhythmically. It trotted over a slight dip in the dirt which caused the wheel on the right side to dip low then up again, jostling the ninja inside.

Naruto bumped his head for the fifth time in the past hour. "Ow!" He sat up straight, rubbing his skull. "I'm so sick of this."

Shikamaru didn't bother opening his eyes when he addressed the blond ninja beside him. "Don't sit with your head against the window like that. You know it's going to happen."

"It's the only way I can be comfortable. We're cramped in here."

It was true. The carriage was only meant for four people or less. They had managed to squeeze in five. Shikamaru sat beside Naruto with barely two inches of space between them. Neji, Lee and Sai sat on the other side, pressed shoulder to shoulder. There was no room for their belongings so they stashed their bags in the trunk attached to the back of the carriage. Since they didn't have to walk all the way to their mission and they had plenty of time, most of them decided to take a rest while the carriage rocked them from side to side. Naruto tried to take a nap, too, but kept getting woken up every time his head banged against the wall as the wheels went over a bump in the road.

So far, it seemed only Lee was actually asleep. Shikamaru kept his eyes closed but it was clear that he was still awake and able to answer Naruto.

"If it bothers you that much, then get out and walk," said Neji who had his eyes closed as well. He wasn't sleeping either.

"I don't want to."

"Then don't complain."

The carriage rode over a narrow stone bridge. Naruto could see the brook from his window, the water sparkling like a sheet of diamonds. The narrow path took them further into the woods. The path sloped steeply up through the trees, pushing Naruto back into his seat. The ceiling of leaves cast shadows on the faces of everyone in the carriage.

Another bump in the road and another bump on Naruto's head. Naruto opened the window and stuck his head out to yell at the driver. "Take it easy with all the bumps! I'm going to have a concussion!"

"Naruto, don't," warned Neji.

"What?" he asked, closing the small window. "I'm sick of bumping my head."

"Don't piss off the driver. We're lucky to have gotten a ride at all."

"It's because of Shikamaru, really," Sai chimed in. He wasn't sleeping either. Just resting his eyes.

It was true. Shikamaru happened to be leaving on a mission at the same time as Naruto's group. Shikamaru was traveling by himself and a man who happened to be going his way offered him a ride. Shikamaru knew the man from a past mission and took him up on it. Knowing that Naruto's group was heading the same way, he offered to bring them along.

Naruto was grateful to have a ride to their destination. However, he didn't want to keep bumping his head every time the carriage shook one way or the other. He tried to cushion his head with his hand but it wasn't very comfortable.

"We're almost there."

The woods thinned and disappeared. A few minutes later, the village came into sight. Naruto pressed his face against the window to have a better look. Wooden houses everywhere. They were good sizes, too. The buildings were close together, giving the village a cozy appearance. It put Naruto at ease, too. He felt safe here, as if it were his own home.

The carriage stopped and Naruto's head went forward into the glass. "Ow! Damn it!"

"We're here." Neji stood up from his seat, stretching. He tapped Lee on the shoulder to get his attention.

The four boys stepped out into the sunlight and stood around the carriage. Lee and Naruto were looking at the village. It seemed so peaceful. Why would anyone call for aid here? Everything seemed fine.

Naruto slowly turned his body, taking in everything around him. The trees, the buildings, the tiny pond by a flower bed.

And that.

Naruto stared straight ahead at a large mountain in the distance. It was colored green so he couldn't tell it apart from the trees at first glance. The woods ran along the east side of the village and stretched toward the south, extending for miles. The trees thinned out in places, creating large gaps which made it easier to see the layout of the land. There seemed to be a path leading toward the mountain, but it was hard to tell. It was clear now that it wasn't an enormous tree but a mountain covered with plants and trees. Naruto couldn't judge the distance very well, so he couldn't tell how far away it was. He decided that if it wasn't a tree then it must have been a long ways away.

"Shoo! Shoo!"

Naruto tore his eyes away from the distant mountain and back to the carriage. Neji was standing behind it, collecting their bags from the back. Something scampered into the trees and away from the group.

"What is it?" Lee asked.

"Nothing. Just an animal. It was sitting on the trunk in the back so I chased it away."

"Why? Maybe it wanted a ride."

"It could have chewed through the bags."

Shikamaru stuck his head out the carriage door. "Here, give me my bag. There will be room up here for it now that you're going to be gone."

Neji handed Shikamaru his bag. "Thanks for the ride, Shikamaru."

"No problem. Good luck on your mission."

"Same to you. Good luck with things in the Sand."

Shikamaru moaned. "Yeah, yeah... I'd rather not be going at all. Too hot and sandy. But they want me to go over some things with them."

"It shouldn't bother you that much since you'll be in that carriage," said Naruto.

"Think again, Naruto. This carriage can't make it through the desert. The driver's just taking me to the outskirts of the desert then going on his way. That's where we part."

"Oh."

Shikamaru set his bag on the seat and said his good-byes, closing the door. The carriage pulled away down the dirt road and behind the buildings.

Neji, as team leader, ordered the team to follow him. "Let's find the one who called us here. The village headman must be nearby."

* * *

The village headman, a plump older man, didn't take long to find them and sat down to explain what they needed to have done.

The children of the village were disappearing each night in small groups and none had yet returned. This had been going on for a little over a week. No one knew where they were or where they were going, but they were certain that someone was taking them. The villagers were positive that the children weren't leaving on their own accord.

"Are you certain that they are not simply running away?" asked Sai. "Or playing some sort of adventure game?"

"No, the children here aren't like that. They had no reason to run away. Everyone is very happy here. We have plenty of food and everyone is treated kindly. There are even animals, wild ones, beyond this village. They know better than to leave and walk right into that. It's dangerous. There are bears and all sorts of things. Besides, I might be able to consider such a thing if it were a couple of children, but all of them? There must be something going on."

"What if the kids got together to do this as a group? What if this is a large prank or something?" Naruto offered his thoughts.

"No. The children have nothing in common with each other. Some don't even play together. We've even asked the remaining children if they knew what was going on and they said that they didn't. They even looked concerned."

"They could have been lying to cover things up," said Naruto.

"It makes no sense," said the headman. "Even if this was a prank, even if they were running away, the way they are doing it makes no sense. The ones that left a few days ago left behind their friends. Why would they do that? Wouldn't they go together? Some children even left with people they didn't normally hang around with. It would make more sense if they actually knew each other. I'm certain that someone is taking them away."

"How do you know that for sure?"

"Because the children left without taking anything with them. Some even left behind their shoes. If they were running away, wouldn't they at least take those with them? They didn't even pack things for a trip anywhere. I'm sure someone took them. I want you to find out who did and bring the children back to us."

Neji nodded his head. "You can trust us. We'll do our best to find them and return them safely to this village. Is there anything else we should know that may help us with our mission?"

"The children only disappear at night. Some parents have even taken precautions and lock all the doors and windows at night. Some even sleep in the same room as their children. And the children all vary in age. But so far, only children between the ages of two and eighteen have been taken." The headman looked them over. "You seem to be in that age group, so please be careful yourselves."

"Don't worry about us. We'll be fine."

The headman sighed, looking out the window to his right. "It's so strange. All of it. Plus also, only a few children leave on any given night. Not all of them. Some nights, four disappear, some nights six. Others, ten. The numbers vary as well. But the thing is, no one has seen anyone lurking around the village. No one even sees the children leaving. It's as if they vanish."

"I'm sure we'll get to the bottom of this."

* * *

And that began their long day of interviewing villagers and searching the area for clues. Neji used his byakugan but could find no sign of any children anywhere other than the ones who still remained in the village. None of the families had anything in common. Some had children who didn't play together and others who did. Some were older and younger. Some were the same age when they left together in groups. Some had pets, some did not. Girls and boys alike were disappearing but they shared nothing that would indicate a pattern. They lived in different houses, some with and some without siblings. Some houses had siblings who left together and others who did not. Some siblings were still in the village worried over when their brothers or sisters would be returning. Some left with their siblings, and some left the following night. Again, nothing was the same.

By the end of the day, everyone was tired and frustrated. Tonight, Neji wanted to observe the village and see what happened at night. They would do it in shifts. Lee and Naruto were up first. Then Sai and Neji would take over around three in the morning. With any luck, they would see where the children were going or even who was taking them away.

It was after midnight and Naruto could hear Lee snoring on the floor beside him. Naruto kept watch from the window of the house they were staying in. The village headman had room to spare so it only seemed fair that they stay with him tonight. He even fed them a good meal and gave them a room to share.

Naruto rested his chin on his palm, staring at the dark night sky. Nothing was moving. He didn't need Lee to keep watch with him. He must have been tired from all the training he had been putting himself through lately so Naruto couldn't blame him for falling asleep so soon. He managed to last up until a few minutes ago. His snoring didn't bother the other two, who, used to sleeping around either Naruto or Lee, had gotten into the habit of wearing earplugs. They were both light sleepers anyway. When it came time to changed shifts, all Naruto had to do was tap them on the shoulder and they would wake up instantly.

Naruto was so bored, he thought he was going to be the next one to fall asleep. It was a still night. Not even the wind was blowing. The animals had grown silent as well. All the buildings were dark and quiet. He had the window open, just in case he needed to get outside quickly. What he wouldn't give for a breeze just to have movement. Or even a firefly. Anything.

That's when he heard something. It was faint at first but grew stronger. He listened hard, trying to make it out. It almost sounded like a whistle. Or a bird. He leaned his head out the window for a better listen.

It was rhythmic, whatever it was. Almost like music.

Wait. It was music. Someone was playing a song in the night.

It was close by. Naruto opened the window a little further and climbed outside, quickly putting on his shoes. He stepped into the plants growing against the side of the building which tickled his toes. He moved away from the house, turning back only to make sure the window was still open, just in case he needed to get back quickly. He walked into the street and looked around.

The street was deserted. All the houses were dark. Could no one else hear it? He expected at least one light to flash on and a curious person to peer out the window. Everything was calm and quiet. No one else seemed to notice the music playing in the dark.

The music swirled around him, filling his thoughts with wonder and his heart with joy. This music was pleasant and soothing, like rain or a waterfall.

Now very curious, he started wandering through the street to find its source. At the very least he wanted to know what sort of instrument was producing such a wonderful sound. He still couldn't place it. He looked back at the open window and at his friends sleeping inside. He could easily get back inside if he wanted to, and with the window open, he could always shout for help if it was needed. Naruto turned away, wanting to continue his search.

Further down the street, he noticed movement. Could that be the musician? As he approached, he realized that it was the village children. Three of them, at least. Two girls and a boy, all younger than himself. The boy wasn't wearing shoes and one of the girls was wearing slippers. The other girl had on a pair of boots. Both girls were in their night clothes and the boy had on a jacket. It looked like they had just climbed out of bed to investigate. Apparently, Naruto wasn't the only one who heard the music.

They all met in the middle of the street, peering around curiously. Everyone heard the music but could not tell where it was coming from. Whatever it was, it was loudest at this spot.

It picked up. The music was getting faster. Now Naruto could tell what it was. It was a flute. That was why he mistook it for a whistle when he first heard it.

Naruto tapped his foot unconsciously on the ground as he listened. "That's kind of catchy." He nodded his head to the beat. What a great sound! He never thought a flute could sound so happy and joyful. The rhythm made his heart skip a beat. He kept time with his head. He slapped his hands against his thighs. He couldn't resist.

The children joined in. They turned to each other and giggled. This was fun! It was just like being at a concert. The two girls held hands and danced in a circle, laughing. Naruto watched them with a smile. It looked like they were having a lot of fun. Now he wanted to join them. He tried showing off some of his dance moves. The girls and boy watched him with bright smiles and big eyes. Naruto's dancing was impressive. He really didn't know what he was doing. He just did what he felt like. He even tried break-dancing. This inspired the boy to do the same. Now they were dancing with each other while the girls watched and clapped their hands in time with the music.

Then the music started to fade. Whoever was playing was starting to leave the area. They stopped dancing and clapping to listen. It may have been leaving, but the music lingered in the air, as if beckoning.

The flute sang an invitation, and the group followed. Tempted by the sound of the flute, Naruto left the village with the three children and chased the music.

It was magical. The song that was playing was unlike anything they had ever heard before. It promised joy and a life free of pain. An enchanting sound irresistible to those who bear deep wounds within their hearts. It made them feel alive and happy. It brought reassurance and promise of love. It was impossible to turn it down, so they followed.

They followed it out of the village and up the road. They followed it off the path and into the grass. Past the bushes and shrubs. Beyond the hill and the trees.

The music grew stronger with every step. They followed it up the hill and along a stone path leading toward the mountain. The village was shrinking away, hiding behind the trees. Naruto no longer looked back. He just wanted to follow the music and find out where it took him.

It led them to the base of the mountain. The music was now very strong. As they neared the mountain, a stone wall began to move. They stopped to watch it pull away from the rest of the stone like a door being pulled by an invisible hand. The stone wall stopped and a breeze caressed their faces. The music continued to play but was slowing down.

Was the musician inside?

Naruto and the children approached the opening in the mountain and cautiously peered inside. It was a short tunnel. And light. They entered the mountain and as soon as they did, the music stopped playing.

Naruto's jaw dropped. The children gasped.

This was the inside of a mountain?

It was enormous! It was as bright as day and there were plants growing along the walls, turning everything green. There were trees, too. The branches stretched to the dome ceiling which was covered with flowers and green vines and thin branches. The ground was carpeted with green grass so soft, Naruto thought it was made of cloth. There was a pond, too. And a waterfall trickling down a wall of stone into the pond.

Not only that, but there were children. Children everywhere. They were climbing trees and playing in the pond. They were chasing each other on the grass or napping in the corner under a tall shady tree. They were all dressed in their pajamas, but didn't seem to care.

What really got Naruto's attention was everything other than the plant-life and the playful children. There were games everywhere. It looked like a carnival. And wooden buildings displaying steaming trays of food on their counters. There were other stands, too. All of which had food and charging no money for anything. Cake, ice cream, candy... and a huge chocolate fountain! Naruto's mouth watered just looking at it.

There were more activities than he could count. One in particular was hanging over his head. There were kids on harnesses climbing on a jungle gym suspended in the air above him. A tightrope, a rope ladder, swings, all sorts of different platforms. It was like being a monkey. That looked like so much fun. There was even a zip-line with children zooming by from one side of the dome to the other at great speed.

Naruto stared at the vast wonderland before his eyes. There was so much to do. This was going to be a blast! Naruto and the three children charged in with huge smiles and scattered, cheering.

There was so much food! Naruto stuffed his face full of dango, taiyaki, shaved ice, yakisoba, yakitori and takoyaki. And this was just his first course. Cotton candy was next, followed by a huge slice of watermelon and grilled corn on the cob. The venders were absent at every stand, but there were signs saying they could help themselves. Everything was free.

After eating half his weight in junk food, Naruto investigated the games stationed throughout the area. Ring toss games, scooping fish, darts, and even lottery games. Naruto won several toys and two masks. He even won himself a necklace made out of seashells. The card flip games were tons to fun, too, but those didn't come with prizes. Spinning tops were another. He didn't mind if those didn't have prizes. It was a lot more fun to simply play the games. The children were very impressed with his skills when it came to some of the games. Other games they ended up showing him. There were other games they played, too. The girls jumped rope, betting their newly won toys on who could jump the longest. The boys played kickball and tag. Even the girls joined them and split into teams.

A cluster of buildings caught Naruto's attention. They were small forts with only one window and a curtain in front of the door. He looked inside and found a world made out of pillows and blankets. It looked like a pillow fort. Everything was plush. There were stuffed animals, too. The walls one the outside were clearly wooden, but on the inside, they were covered with soft foam and cloth. The ceiling had no lights, making the room dark, with only a couple faintly glowing stars attached to the ceiling. There were several children sleeping inside. This must have been an area used for napping. It was very peaceful in here. When Naruto was tired, he returned to this place and curled up for a nap.

When he woke up, it was back to the fun. Lots of food and games and anything else that came to mind. It was endless. He played with the children, he played by himself. He ate junk food, he ate good food. He drank from the chocolate fountain, which he worked down with a glass of water. The chocolate was too thick to drink straight. But that didn't mean he couldn't dip whatever he wanted into it and eat that. He tried strawberries and bananas. Then he tried takoyaki and noodles, which turned out to be a weird combination. However, cucumbers and apples turned out to be pretty good. He played in the pond next, splashing the children who came to join him. They spent a lot of time fishing for frogs. They were illusive, which made it even more fun for Naruto. He tried teaching the kids what to do. A couple of young boys claimed to be experts and gave Naruto instructions. Few frogs were actually caught. The boy who caught the first one chased the girls around with it, trying to scare them. It ended when one of the girls pushed him into the pond and he was fished out by Naruto.

Naruto sat down under a tree to eat his snack, making a mental list of what to do next. There were still so many activities to do. Some he hadn't gotten to yet. Some he had already done but wanted to do again. The zip-line was amazing. He couldn't wait to do it again. It would be his fourth time.

He happily munched on sweets as he thought of what to do next. This place was fantastic. He was eating sweets that would only be served during a special occasion. Right now, he was chowing down on a plate full of mochi. Some were bigger than others, taking up his whole palm. He picked up one of the bigger ones and held it up to his mouth.

He paused. The color of the mochi caught his eye and he stopped. It was pink. The color of a cherry blossom.

Why did the color distract him so much? He had seen pink mochi before. Why would this be any different?

Pink mochi. Pink. Pink...

Why did this bother him so much? Was he forgetting something? Something important?

* * *

Things have started happening in the first chapter. Yay!

Please review. Thanks! ^-^


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2:**

The color of the mochi bothered him so much, Naruto couldn't bring himself to eat it. This color was so distracting, but he couldn't understand why.

Was he forgetting something? What was it about this mochi that had him feeling this way?

Pink.. Pink... The color of a cherry blossom.

So familiar. What could it be? Why?

This pink color... it reminded him of something. Of someone. This pink mochi...

It looked a lot like... Sakura's hair.

Naruto blinked. "Sa... Sakura..?" Naruto narrowed his eyes at the dessert. "Wait a minute..."

He looked around at the paradise in the mountain. All these amazing things, all the laughter and joy. He blinked. Why was he here? What was he doing?

That's right! He was on a mission. He had left Sakura behind so he could leave on this mission with Neji, Sai and Lee. That's right. They had gotten a ride from Shikamaru earlier to this village. But this wasn't the village. Of course. Because he had left the village that night.

Naruto jumped to his feet, dropping his mochi in the grass. He had completely forgotten. He was still on a mission.

He looked around in a panic. This was no time to be having fun and stuffing his face. He had to get back to the village. He had to get in touch with his friends and tell them what was going on.

Where was the door? They came in here somehow. Where was it?

Of course. It was right over there, by the zip-line. He remembered the children zooming by over his head when he came in. It was somewhere over there. Naruto ran across the grass, ignoring the tables of steaming noddles and soups and colorful sweets and made it to the wall of green.

It was right here. He knew it was. This was where he came in. He pressed his hands against the wall but it wasn't budging. He moved his hands over the vines and stone, trying to find a handle or a knob or a button. Anything that would get it to open like before. He pressed hard, but nothing moved. He threw himself into the wall. Nothing.

"Open up!" he shouted. "Please! Come on, open!"

The vines made the wall soft. Naruto pulled them down, their juices making his hands wet. He punched the stone, hurting his hands, but he ignored it. He wanted out. Maybe the vines were keeping the opening sealed. He had to force his way out. He punched and kicked but nothing moved.

"Let me out! Let me out of here!" Naruto scratched at the wall until his fingers bled. He was trapped in the mountain.

He stepped back to examine the wall. If there was no exit, then he would have to make one.

"Fine. I'll break it down!" Naruto took a huge step back and began. "Rasenga-!"

"Stop! Stop!"

Naruto halted and his attack disappeared. He looked around but couldn't see anyone. The children were all far away from this area since all the toys and games and food were on the other side. It sounded like a man's voice anyway. "Hello?" Naruto still couldn't see anyone.

"Why are you doing that? Why are you trying to break down the door?"

He answered the voice, still peering around, hoping to catch sight of him. "I have to get out of here. I want out."

"But why? Don't you have everything you want here? Everything you need? Don't you like it here?"

Naruto would be lying if he said he didn't. "I have to go see my friends. I have a mission I have to complete. I can't stay here."

"What sort of mission?"

"I was called to this village to find out why all these kids keep disappearing from the village. My friends are still at the village and they must be wondering where I am."

"You are not from this village?" The voice paused. "Ah, yes. You are dressed differently. And that band on your head tells me you are a ninja."

"Yeah, I am." Then Naruto realized something. "Are you the one who's bee kidnapping these children? Why are you doing this? Their families are worried sick about them. Why are you kidnapping them?"

He saw something move out of the corner of his eyes and he turned. A man had appeared on one of the stones jetting out from the side of the wall and sat down. He was wearing tattered clothes and wore a flute on his belt. He had no shoes and his feet were dirty as a result. Actually, the man himself wasn't well kept. His skin was covered in dirt and his clothes were stained.

"I am not trying to hurt them," he said. "I'm trying to save them."

His statement caused Naruto to stop and listen. Naruto was about to attack him when he said that. "Save them? What do you mean?"

The man sighed heavily and hung his head. "It's a long story. If you wish to know everything, then you must hear it from the beginning."

Naruto nodded and took a seat where he was. "Sure. Go ahead."

The man began to tell his tale.

"I come from two villages away, near the mountain. There are several in the area, given our location. The mountains stretch for miles. My village was settled near one larger than this. Our village was very small. Most people passed us by on their way to other places. I never married, but I wanted children. Always did. Apparently fate wished for that as well. I ended up caring for children in the village who were abandoned. They were all orphans. I cared for them all until someone took them away to be a part of their family. There weren't many children in the village. Counting the ones I cared for there were only ten. Still, it was a grand time and we had a lot of fun."

"Ok... And..?" Naruto pressed.

"Anyway... One night- It was just like any other, believe me. Nothing amiss. I sent the children to bed and the parents in the village did the same with theirs. Come morning... all ten of them were dead."

"Dead?" Naruto gasped. "What do you mean dead?"

"When we discovered them in the morning, they had all stopped breathing and their hearts had stopped. No matter what we did, they would not wake up. We didn't know what had happened. It was a night like any other. Nothing out of the ordinary. None of the children were sick, and everything was normal. They just... died."

"Maybe they ate something?"

"No. We thought of that. The children ate different things depending on where they stayed. I ate the same thing the children ate where I cared for them. The parents of the other children served them different foods and the parents ate the same dish. Nothing was the same. Not even the ingredients. Everything was routine. They prepared for bed, same as always and slept in their own beds. And that was where we found them in the morning. All dead in their beds. None of them were injured, either. No one strange entered the village or anything. This was completely out of the blue and none of them had anything in common. They just died."

Naruto looked at the ground. "That's awful..."

"It was. And we couldn't bear to bury them in the ground. They were just children. So I made a tomb out of the orphanage. The children were kept in their beds and the parents laid their children to rest in any spare bed we had and sealed them up in that room. Since we were such a small village, we had very few people. None of whom could stand to live there anymore after that happened. Everyone packed up and left. I don't know where they went. I left, too. It was too painful to stay. So I fled to the next village. I would have to start all over. I didn't have enough money to buy a place, so I pitched a tent and stayed there. The villagers were nice to me and offered me work. The village had children, too. They seemed to like me. Sometimes I played with them. Slowly my wounds began to heal. I started to smile again and forget the pain."

"That's great."

The man shook his head. "Then it started up again. One morning, all the parents awoke to find their children dead in their beds. Just like at my village."

"Again? What happened?"

"No one knows. No one could ever figure that out. The parents were so distraught. They didn't know what to do. No one knew how they died. The children were buried in a crypt under a hill in the shadow of a small mountain. I soon left that village, too." The man shook his head. "For a while, I thought I was cursed. I thought it was because of me that children were dying. I tried so hard to figure out what it was. Still, I don't know. However, I did discover something."

"What? What?"

"Only children under eighteen and over two are killed and it only happens at night... in a single night. That's all I know. None of the parents are effected. No adult is. It's only the children. I don't know why. And I still don't know what's causing it. But I did figure out another thing that's very important. It only happens once a month to one village. Mine was the first. Then the village I fled to which was right next to mine exactly a month later. That's why I came to this village. This one is the next in line. I'm sure it will happen to this village, too."

"So that's why you've been kidnapping the children." Naruto looked back at the children at play behind him. "You're protecting them."

"Exactly."

Naruto turned back to the man on the stone. "But why didn't you tell the villagers what was going on?"

"I did. I tried to warn them when I discovered the pattern but they didn't believe me. I begged them to keep the children safe, but they thought I was crazy and forbade me from coming back. I couldn't set foot in the village again. All my warnings were for naught. That's why I used this." He held up the flute strapped to his belt.

"Oh, yeah. I remember hearing that before coming here. So you were the one playing it."

"Yes. I received it as a gift shortly before coming here to this village. I only know how to play one song on it, but that song seems to be able to lure away children. So I used it to take the children away so I could keep them safe."

"But I don't get one thing," said Naruto. "If it lures away children when you play it, then how come all the children didn't leave in a single night? According to the headman guy, they've been leaving in small groups."

"I've been trying to figure this thing out ever since I got it. I discovered that it only works on those who are awake to hear it. When I played it, only a couple of children came. Then the next night more came. I figured it's because they were worried about their friends or siblings who were missing, so they were too worried to sleep that night so they were able to hear it and come to my location. That's what I figured, at least."

It made sense. Naruto lost sleep when he was worried, or if he had to get up to use the bathroom in the middle of the night. The children must have done the same thing. That first night, maybe the children couldn't sleep and laid awake in bed until they heard the flute music. Or someone got up to get a drink of water or use the bathroom and heard the music and followed it here.

"By a stroke of luck, it effects the children of the same age group as the ones who die in the middle of the night. So I've been using this to lure them away from the village and into this paradise I've created for them. Here I can protect them. They won't be in the village when it happens. And once the night has passed and the danger is gone, I will send the children back to their families. In the meantime, I will provide for them. Whatever they need. They have plenty of food to eat, lots of games to play and they are surrounded by familiar faces. There are places to play and to sleep, even to bathe. I make sure they are happy. I have to, otherwise they will beg to be returned to their families and try to escape. Since they are so content, not one has asked to leave."

Naruto looked at all the games and toys and food and knew it was true. "Yeah. I was totally distracted. I forgot about everything and lost track of time." It was just like a child getting involved with a game. They would get so wrapped up in it that they would forget what they were doing just before and not realize that their parents were no longer beside them. They would be too involved to notice and lose track of everything. Naruto was the same way. If he hadn't had that pink mochi to jog his memory, he might have never noticed a thing and be just like the rest of the children.

The man looked over at the children. "It won't be long now. I will return them in the next couple of days."

"Yeah, when does the mysterious killing thing happen?"

"If memory serves, tonight."

"Tonight?" Then Naruto realized something else and jumped up. "My friends are back at the village! I have to warn them. I have to get them out of there. Please, you have to let me go. They're all under eighteen. They could get killed, too."

The man looked at the stone wall and then back at Naruto. "Of course. You also must check and make sure the other children get out of there safely. I'm not sure I got them all."

"I promise. My mission is to keep them safe, after all."

The man nodded. "I will play the flute again tonight. If your friends are awake, they will hear it and come to this location. Even if they do not listen to you, they will come anyway. I will protect them as well." Then he thought of something and his face looked worried. "But could you please not tell them where I am or where the children are? If they find out, they may try to take the children back by force and I cannot risk them leaving before it is safe."

Naruto nodded. "No problem. I'll just tell them they're safe if it pops up but I won't tell them where you are."

If he knew anything about some of his team members, they would try to take the children back for the sake of their mission and not wait. There was always that risk. Naruto knew the man was right in telling him not to disclose this location.

The man nodded. "Please be careful and keep them safe. Please... don't fail like I have."

The look of pain on the man's face told Naruto that he was still suffering from that awful night at his home village. All those children who died in a single night while in his care. All the bright young smiling faces he had grown to love and care for, gone in an instant. He had to relive that again at the next village. He did not want to go through that a third time. This village was next to suffer and he would not have that happen again. He wanted to save them all. He was going to do his best to protect them.

He couldn't protect his children, he couldn't save the children at the other village. He had to do it right this time. He couldn't let it happen a third time. He was already beating himself up over the first two times. He must have felt it was all his fault. That if he had done something, they would have been spared. If it happened again, he would feel at fault about that, too.

Naruto placed his fist over his chest, swearing an oath. "I promise. I will not let these kids die. I will help you protect them all."

When they locked eyes, in an instant they both knew they could trust each other.

"Ok. Best of luck to you, boy." The man looked to the stone wall which began to move slowly to one side.

"Thanks. And my name's Naruto." He turned into the short tunnel and dashed outside. When he looked back, the opening was gone and a perfectly normal mountain was staring back at him.

It was as if the whole thing was nothing more than a dream.

It couldn't have been. It was daytime now. The sunlight stung his eyes and made him squint until they adjusted. He must have played and ate all night. Naruto ran from the mountain and back to the village. He could see the rooftops as he dashed down the hill and over to the trees. The jumped over shrubs and into the dirt road.

As he ran, the only thought on his mind was getting everyone out of here before dark. Tonight was the night. Tonight, every child would die.

"I'm not going to let that happen."

Naruto ran into the village and started searching for his friends. They couldn't have been far.

The village seemed quiet except for the soft murmurs and sobs from the worried adults. No one was cheerful. The animals were quiet and no children were playing. In fact, there were no children at all. Not outside, at least. Naruto saw only one child from a window and the mother was keeping a watchful eye on her. The window was shut and so were all the other windows in the building. It seemed the family wasn't going to take any chances, even during the day. The father was outside, setting boards of wood by the front door. It seemed he was planning to seal up the door that night to keep people from entering and leaving.

"If that kid can't get out, then they'll end up dead like the other kids for the other villages." Naruto had to make sure that child could get out. Their life depended on it.

Around the corner, more adults were comforting each other and doing chores. Very few people spoke. The whole village seemed to be depressed. No one was cheerful at all.

A small boy was trying to leave his house but his mother wouldn't allow it. The boy twisted away, his hand filled with nuts. "I just want to feed it. Just for a second. Nothing will happen." The mother wasn't having it and pulled him inside, causing him to drop his handful of nuts and start crying. A small raccoon was scampering about just outside their home. Apparently the boy was trying to feed it. The raccoon gathered up the nuts and ran off into a tree on the other side of the street.

Behind that tree, Naruto saw three familiar faces and hurried over. "Hey! Hey, guys!"

Sai, Lee and Neji turned around and looked surprised to see him. Before Naruto could say anything else, Neji gave him a stern look. "Where have you been?!"

Naruto chuckled, knowing they were going to be upset with his disappearance. "Heh heh. Sorry. I was-"

"Naruto, we were so worried about you," said Lee, looking deeply concerned.

"Really?" Naruto rubbed the back of his head nervously. "Gee, I was only gone for a few hours. I figured..."

"Try two days," said Neji.

Naruto's jaw went slack. "Say what?"

"Yeah. You were gone for two days."

"We did not know where you were."

Naruto looked down in shock. He thought he was only gone for that night. "Two whole days? Man, they're right about time flying when you're having fun." If he hadn't realized what was going on, he may have never found his way back when he did.

"We searched for you," said Sai. "Even Neji couldn't locate you."

Did this mean that the mountain was something Neji couldn't see through? Maybe that was why he couldn't find the children when they were searching the land the other day.

"What were you doing?" asked Lee. "Is everything alright?"

"No, no, it's fine. I know where the kids are."

All three stared at him. "You do? Where?"

Naruto shut his mouth tight. He didn't want his friends to think that he was goofing off or in some sort of danger. He wanted to tell them something that wouldn't make them worry, but he could have worded it better than he did.

He couldn't tell them where the children were. He promised that man that he wouldn't. Besides, if he did, everyone would break into that mountain and take them back to the village. If that happened then all that hard work to keep them safe would have been for nothing. They would die if they were in the village. Naruto couldn't tell them where they were and risk that happening. Besides, what would they do to that man who was trying to protect them? Would they attack him thinking he was an enemy? Now Naruto had to protect someone else in addition to all those children hidden in the mountain.

"Where are they, Naruto?"

"Uh..."

"Well?"

"Well... They are... They're safe, I know that much."

"But where are they?" Lee pressed.

"I can't answer that."

"Why not?"

"Because I have a good reason."

"Which is?" asked Neji.

"Uh... I can't tell you that either."

Neji turned away in anger. Part of him must have believed that Naruto was just saying such things to get attention and didn't really know.

"Just don't worry. That's all I can tell you."

"Forget it." Neji turned to the rest of the group. "We have work to do before evening. Let's get back to it. Now that we know Naruto's alright, that's one less person to search for."

* * *

A few people have started to notice a nod to the Pied Piper story. Good for you!

I will give more reasons and details towards the end of the fic.

Please review. Thanks! ^-^


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3:**

The remainder of that day was spent making sure that the two remaining children were kept safe in their homes that night. The two houses were boarded up shortly before sunset. Lee and Sai were going to guard them all night, making sure they never left. According to Sai, the night before, they rounded up all the children and kept them in the headman's house, thinking that someone was invading homes and taking the children away from the families who were known to have children. Sadly, that did not work. Most of the children were missing come morning and only two remained. Tonight, they were trying something different.

Naruto didn't like it. He kept trying to talk his comrades out of it, but they refused to listen. All the buildings were secure. Naruto tried to find a way for the children to escape but there was no possible way. Not without help. Naruto planned on opening the windows that evening and waking up the two remaining children to make sure they left the village when the flute started playing.

Then Naruto realized a possible flaw. If the flute started playing, he would fall under the spell, too, just like the other night. He had to make sure to stay alert to ensure everyone got out safely. There wasn't going to be another night after this one to try again. No second chances.

At sunset, Naruto went back to the headman's house and dug around in Sai's bag for a pair of earplugs. Naruto didn't own any of his own so he had to borrow them. Sai's bag was the easiest because it was out in the open and available. He took out the earplugs and stuffed them into his pocket. Hopefully, this would offer him some protection.

He hurried back outside as Neji was giving out final instructions.

"Ok, we're all clear on the plan?"

"Yes."

"Yes."

"Uh-huh."

Neji nodded. "Good. If anything happens, wake me up. Come get me at once."

Naruto frowned. "You're not guarding the houses with us?"

Neji looked irritated. "Since you were gone doing who knows what, we've had to pick up the slack. I've spent the last two nights keeping watch over the village. We did shifts the other night, but it's hard to divide up the work for three people. I was up all last night and a good part of the other night watching over the place." Neji pointed to the small bags under his eyes. "I'm tired. Tonight, you guys are taking the first shift so I can get some rest. But if anything happens, you have to come get me up."

"You can count on us," said Lee.

"It won't be an issue."

Naruto frowned. "Can't you sleep later? Don't you want to..?"

"Let me sleep for five minutes, Naruto and quit bothering me!" Neji's lack of sleep was more apparent now. His temper had gotten much shorter.

Then again, Neji was a very light sleeper. If anything happened, he would wake up. Besides, Naruto and Lee weren't sleeping that night so there was no need for him to wear earplugs to drown them out.

If he knew what Naruto was planning, he would put a stop to it before he got started. Maybe it was for the best to let Neji rest and then get him up when the music started playing. Knowing him, he would wake up immediately as soon as it started playing. Naruto decided to let him rest so he could put his own plan into action. He couldn't risk Neji stopping him.

He backed down. Neji nodded his head and went back into the building. In the meantime, Lee and Sai went to the two remaining houses to stand guard.

It was nearing 1:00am and all the families had gone to bed. Naruto peered around the corner. The two houses weren't beside each other. There was a row of houses between them. He had to be in two places at once, which was an easy thing for him to do. Naruto produced two Shadow Clones and pointed them in the right directions. One went one way and the other went a different way. Naruto stood nearby to watch and think of a back-up plan in case this one didn't work.

His first clone went to Lee's location and started to silently pull out the nails from the boarded up window with the edge of his kunai. This was the child's bedroom on the first floor. Hopefully, the boy would be able to get out through the window.

Lee turned his head. "What are you doing?"

The clone hid the kunai behind his back. "Oh, uh... Just helping make sure everything's secure and stuff. Heh heh."

Lee turned back around, keeping an eye on the road. The clone went back to carefully pulling out the boards. The first one was off and in the grass. Now the next one. The final nail was stuck in the wood and creaked loudly as he tried to pull it out. Lee turned back around and caught him in the act. "What are you doing, Naruto?"

"Uh..."

"Are you pulling out those boards we helped fix into place? Why?"

"Uh..."

Thankfully, a pop caught their attention and Lee hurried to Sai's location. "What happened?"

Sai was standing alone, a board of wood by his feet. "One of Naruto's clones was pulling out the wood from the window so I stopped him."

"He was doing the same thing to my location."

The real Naruto showed up, hoping to finish the job. While the real one talked to his teammates, the one remaining clone was busy opening the window to the boy's bedroom and trying to wake him up. His bedroom door was locked from the outside and boarded shut on the inside. The only way out was through the window. The clone set to work.

"Why are you doing this? Why are you sabotaging our mission?"

"I'm not trying to."

"You sure look like you are." Sai pointed to the boards of wood on the ground.

"Listen, I'm trying to help save them. It's a long story."

"Tell us."

Naruto gave it some thought. These two would be less critical than Neji. Lee might even be willing to lend a hand. Sai might, too. Maybe.

"See," Naruto began. "I met this guy the night I left the village. He told me that the children in nearby villages are killed in the middle of the night somehow and he's trying to lead them away before that happens. It's supposed to happen tonight, so I promised him that I would help him get the remaining children out of here."

"Naruto, he could be lying," said Sai. "Haven't you considered the possibility that he could be feeding you false information to get you to help him kidnap children?"

That thought never crossed Naruto's mind. Now that it had, he shook his head. "No way. I believe him. You guys didn't see him. He was in pain. He blames himself for what happened at those other villages."

"If they ever took place," said Sai. "He could have been lying to get you to trust him. We haven't heard of those villages suffering from anything like that. Something that major would have leaked out to different places across the land. Don't you think we would have heard of something like that happening somehow?"

"The way he talked, he said that everyone in the village left and his was a tiny village. Very few people were there."

"What about the other one? If it was close to this one, why don't the people here know about it?"

"How the hell should I know?" Naruto had a feeling they wouldn't listen to him. "Look, I believe they guy. I'm sure he's telling the truth."

"Naruto, you may be being a bit gullible," said Lee.

"You're one to talk!"

Sai held up his hand. "Shh, shh!"

"What is it?" asked Lee.

"I hear something."

Naruto gasped and quickly put his hands into his pocket to fish out the earplugs. He crammed them into his ears and watched his two friends carry on a conversation. Naruto couldn't hear a word of it.

When he looked at the building behind them, he noticed that his clone had managed to finish taking off the last remaining board and opened the window. The girl inside heard them arguing and poked her head out to investigate.

Sai and Lee were looking around and saying something to each other. They must have been hearing the music and wondering where it was coming from. The girl climbed out of the window and started to wander. The boy from the remaining house brushed past Naruto's leg as he made his way to the end of the street. Sai and Lee followed after them. Naruto gave a quick look around to make sure no adults were trying to prevent them from leaving. All clear. By the time he looked back, Sai and the others were missing.

Worried they were trying to stop the children, Naruto hurried off to find them. He hoped that wasn't the case and that they were following the music just as he had done. He had no way of knowing since they were out of his sight.

On the hill just outside the village, he spotted them. Soon, he lost sight of them again as they passed behind the trees and bushes. Naruto followed. He caught up to them at the top of the hill. He watched them carefully from behind, wondering if Sai and Lee were merely following the children out of curiosity or because they were under the same spell they were. When Lee turned his head slightly to one side, Naruto noticed his smile. He was enjoying himself. It looked like he was laughing. He must have been caught up in the spell, too.

"Good. They're not trying to stop them from leaving."

They stopped in front of the mountain and the stone wall parted for them. By the time Naruto caught up, they were gone. Naruto hurried to the opening before it closed and made it back to the paradise in the mountain.

He took out the earplugs and heard the laughter of children and playful shouts. He looked around, but his teammates were gone. "I have to find them. Where could they be?"

They weren't by the food or the games. They weren't at the pond or in the nap hut. They weren't overhead on the jungle gym either. As Naruto moved behind a tall tree, he heard grunting. On the other side of the tree was Lee. He was hard at work, training.

"Really?"

Several padded poles sprung up from the ground and he knocked each one down with his fist. More sprang up and hit him back. Naruto had to admit that it looked like fun. They didn't have anything like that back at the village. Not that he was aware of anyway. There were booby traps, too. If Lee stepped a certain way, something would shoot up from the ground and grab him. He had to be on his toes for this exercise. It was a surprise every time.

Naruto tapped him on the shoulder. "Lee."

Lee spun around and tried to punch him. Naruto blocked quickly. "Oh, hey, Naruto." Lee smiled brightly at him. "You must try this. It is amazing!"

"Not right now. Have you seen Sai?"

"No." Lee started punching the poles which creaked and bent on contact. He was too wrapped up to care what was happening around him.

"Lee!" Naruto had to get his attention. "We're on a mission. Remember?"

"What about a mission?" Lee punched two more poles then suddenly stopped. "Ahh! The mission! I completely forgot! How could I be so-"

"It's not your fault. I was the same way. Come on and help me find Sai."

They searched the area. There was no sign of him. Then they spotted a small crowd of children gathered in one area. As they got closer, they realized the children were all gathered around Sai who was drawing on a huge pad of paper.

"Don't tell me he's playing pictionary."

He certainly seemed to be. And having a blast of it, too. There were so many colorful paints and inks and so many writing tools. Far more than Sai had in his personal collection. He was trying to use every one while the children tried to guess what he was making.

"That is sweet," said Lee. "He is playing with the children."

"I don't think he realizes it." For some reason, Naruto always thought that Sai would only end up playing games with children if he was somehow tricked into it or did it by accident. Naruto marched up to Sai and grabbed his shoulder. "Sai, I have to talk to you."

"Just a minute. I'm almost done." Sai tried to finish his drawing. The pens glided so easily over the paper, making it even more enjoyable. Drawing was a cinch with these tools and his natural talent. Sai seemed to be truly enjoying himself. He looked so happy as he drew.

Naruto pulled harder. "I mean now, Sai! Move it!"

Sai put down the pen. "Fine, fine." He allowed himself to be pulled away and the children took over this masterpiece, adding their own images to the piece. "What is it?"

Naruto kept pulling. He didn't want to say anything in front of the children just in case something slipped out and made them realize that they were all being kept away from their families in this mountain. He pulled Sai to the place furthest away by the entrance and looked around to make sure no children were around to overhear.

"Sai, you remember the mission, right?"

Sai titled his head. "What mission?" Suddenly, his eyes opened wide. "The mission!" He looked back at the children. "Wait a minute... are all these children..?"

"Yeah, they're from the village."

"Good. We found them. Now we can get them back to the village and complete our mission."

Naruto grabbed his arm. "No, no! Not yet! It has to wait until morning, at least!"

"What are you talking about?"

Naruto moaned. "Maybe I should have waited to tell you what was going on and let you be distracted." Not one of his better ideas. "Remember what I was telling you before? About the guy I told you about, who's keeping all these kids safe?"

"And we told you that he could be lying to you. You are helping a kidnapper."

"I know he's telling me the truth. And if he was a kidnapper, why would he agree to let them go after this night is over? That doesn't sound like a kidnapper to me."

"He says he'll let them go but we don't know if he will or not. What we have is speculation."

"No, we don't. I know it's legit."

"Naruto..."

"I don't care if you don't believe me, but it's the truth." The man had appeared again by the stone wall. He looked ashamed to be seen. "I just want to keep them safe. And your friend here promised to help. After tonight, I will release them, so please just wait a few more hours."

"And who are you?"

The man looked down. "Rikki. I am the one who has been luring them away. I won't ask for your forgiveness, only for you to wait just a little while longer."

Sai frowned. "Our mission was to find out where the children were going and to return them to their homes safely."

"And you will. Just wait one more day. That's all. Please. If they return now, they will all die."

Sai wasn't convinced but he was curious. "Explain."

The man with the flute, now revealed to be Rikki, explained everything to them, just as he had Naruto. Sai didn't react once while listening but Lee looked like he was ready to start bawling his eyes out.

"That is so sad! All those poor children!"

Sai nodded his head. "But where is the proof? I've never heard of those villages and wouldn't something like that become well-known?"

Rikki sighed. "I don't blame you for not believing me. Please, just let me keep these children for one more night. I promise I will return them once the danger is over. It happens tonight and I still have no idea what's causing it."

"But the children always end up dying on this night?"

"Yes. If they are in the village, they are always found dead in the morning. Which is why I'm doing this in the first place."

Sai looked troubled. "Based off everything you just told us..." He turned. "Naruto."

"What?"

"Neji is still back at the village. If everyone within that age group ends up dying, tonight's the night it happens. Then that would mean he's in danger."

Naruto gasped. "Crap! I thought he would wake up and follow after you guys! I totally forgot to check on him!"

Lee looked just as frightened as Naruto. "Wait, then does that mean..? Will Neji..?"

"Not if I can help it!" Naruto ran to the stone wall and started pulling at the rocks. "Let me out of here, flute-guy! I have to save Neji!"

"But if you go out there, you will be in danger, too," warned Rikki.

"I don't care! I can't just leave him! And if I get there fast, I might be able to make it before anything happens." Naruto kept pulling. "Please, open the door! I'm not going to abandon him!"

Reluctantly, Rikki opened the gateway. Before he could say anything further, Naruto squeezed out the opening and into the night.

"We'll go, too," said Sai.

"Naruto wanted to keep you safe and now you're leaving?" Rikki was stunned. "You'll be in danger, too. You might die!"

"We're ninja. It's an occupational hazard."

"Sai is right. We cannot abandon our friends in their time of need. We must go!"

Outside, Naruto was racing back to the village as fast as he could. He nearly tripped over his own feet down the hill, but he didn't allow himself to stop for a single second. He had to get back to the village. "I have to get back. Please let me make it in time!" He skidded in the dirt from the road and and kept going. The headman's home was just a few streets away. He stumbled over the boards of wood he had ripped out of the windows and almost fell over. "I have to keep going. I have to get to Neji!" He prayed that Neji would listen to him and follow him out of the village. Maybe if he told him where the children were, he would come without a fuss.

The house was just up ahead. As he rounded the corner, he stopped, frozen.

Something was coming out of the window. It looked like smoke at first. It was white and barely touched the ground. It looked almost like an animal. As soon as it stepped into the street, it started running. Running away from the village and all its people.

"Hey!" Naruto gave chase. "Hey, stop! Come back here!"

That was the room Neji was sleeping in. He couldn't stop to check on him now. This thing would get away if he did. He had to catch up to it.

It was like the wind. It ran so swiftly, its feet barely touched the ground. The way it moved was unnatural. This white figure was like a wisp. Even the way it moved reminded Naruto of a dancing flame.

This thing. Did it kill Neji? Was that why it was coming out of his room?

"Come back! Please, stop!" Naruto ran as fast as he could but the figure was far too fast for him. It didn't matter how fast he was. This thing was too quick. "Stop!" Naruto bellowed. "Wait!"

It was even further away now and gaining speed.

"Please! Come back! Hold it! Stop! Stop!" Naruto's foot caught on a large stone and he tripped. By the time he looked up, the white figure was gone, leaving no trace. He had no idea which way it went or if it simply vanished. "Come back here!" Naruto screamed at the top of his lungs. The echo of his own voice was his only answer.

It was gone. And so was Neji.

* * *

Please review! ^-^


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4:**

Naruto felt a wave of despair. He sat in the dirt, staring at his knees. The cool night air only made him feel more depressed and alone. The open stretch of land looked so empty. Even the wind had fallen silent and the insects stopped their noise, as if to mock him. To mock this boy's foolishness. The one who allowed his friend to be taken.

He had yet to look in the house. Maybe Neji was still alive. Maybe what had left the village so suddenly was unrelated. He was afraid to look inside. He was afraid of what he would find. If Neji truly was dead, then it was all his fault. He wouldn't be able to look upon him without feeling that he had failed him and allowed it to happen.

He waned to cry. He felt so hopeless and weak. The tears would not come. It seemed even they were too ashamed to show themselves upon his cheeks. He just sat where he was and hung his head.

"I'm sorry, Neji... I couldn't do it. I'm sorry I let this happen."

"Was he your friend? My condolences."

Naruto lifted his head. He had never heard that voice before. It was someone new. He looked ahead and to his left. Then to his right he saw a small raccoon sitting beside him, looking ahead. "Who are you?"

"Chippy."

Naruto wrinkled his nose. "That's a funny name."

"Like yours is any better."

"It's Naruto."

The raccoon snorted. "That's a food. And you mock mine?"

Naruto grumbled. "So... do you know what just happened and what that thing was?"

"Yeah. But first, I have to ask..." The raccoon tilted its head as he faced Naruto. "Aren't you surprised that I can speak? Usually if I talk in front of humans, they freak out. The last one tried to beat me with a broom."

Naruto shrugged. "Not really. I talk to toads all the time."

"Uh... huh..." The raccoon said slowly. "I guess that makes sense."

"Anyway. So you know what just happened and what that thing was? Tell me."

The raccoon agreed. "Yeah, I know her. You just witnessed the Fox Girl. That is what she's known as by our people and hers. Do you see that mountain there in the distance? That tiny spec?" The raccoon pointed to a dark mound in the distance.

"Yeah."

"That entire mountain is her domain. She's ruler there. Over her fox tribe. She's like their queen. She's very powerful and can use magic."

"That's really cool. What kind of magic?"

"You just saw one of her most famous powers. Soul-sealing. She creeps into a person's bedroom in the dead of night and kisses them while they're asleep. She sucks their soul out through their mouth and the person dies, mid-dream."

Naruto gulped. "So... she... kills them?"

"Sort of. That is what I was told. The person will die without their soul. But if it's done quick enough, the person can still be saved."

Naruto's heart skipped with hope. "Really? We can save Neji if he had his soul taken? How? How?"

"I don't know. That's something only she would know."

Naruto sighed. He knew it was too good to be true. On the plus side, at least he knew it was possible.

"I don't get it, though," said Naruto. "Why is she doing this? Why is she going around killing all these children? What did they ever do to her?"

The raccoon moaned. "Uh... Actually... I'm the reason she's doing this. I sort of... drove her to it."

Naruto turned to the raccoon. "Say what now?"

The raccoon moaned again and looked at him shamefully. "I'm sorry. It was just a joke."

"What is going on?" Naruto pressed him for answers.

"Well, the thing is... that mountain there. Part of the area belongs to us raccoons. A long time ago, that mountain used to belong to both our clans. Then we divided it and we're not allowed to cross the boarder. Doing so violates the peace between us. Raccoons and foxes do not get along. A few months ago, a few friends and I were by the boarder and started to dare each other to do things. Stupid things like stick your foot over the boarder or take a rock from the other side. I was dared to go a little further and venture into the mountain itself. I talked like a big-shot so I had it coming. I told them I would. Then one of them pointed out that I had to prove that I was actually in the mountain so I was told to bring something back to prove that I did it."

The raccoon broke off and hung its head in shame.

"It was just a prank. I didn't mean for this to happen. I didn't know!"

"What did you take?" Naruto asked.

The raccoon sniffled. "I stole the Fox Girl's jewel. It's something very precious to them. I don't know why but it's valuable only to them. I stole it from her chamber and took it with me as proof. Then all hell broke loose when she discovered it was missing. The foxes started searching for the thief and I ran for it. I knew they would kill me if they caught me. So I went into the nearest village I could find and hid there. Then the Fox Girl showed up and did the soul-stealing kiss thing and I knew I couldn't stay. I ran to the next one. I left the night she came and fled to this one. Her foxes are tracking me down. I'm sure that's how they keep finding me."

That explained why all those villages were attacked, and what had happened to all those children.

"But why are only the kids dead?" asked Naruto. "Why does she only use the kiss on them?"

The raccoon pointed to himself. "A raccoon can change into human form. However, when we do, our human form matches our age. Since I am a young raccoon, my human form would be that of a child. Same way if an old raccoon shape-shifted, he would be and elderly human. She must have thought I would be disguised as a human to evade her. Being in a human village and all."

"Why don't you just give the jewel back? That would end all of this and no one else will be killed."

Again, the raccoon moaned and looked away, as if ashamed to answer. "The thing is... I sort of lost it. I had the jewel when I came to this village but I don't know what happened to it. I don't have it anymore."

Naruto sighed heavily. "That's just great."

If this Fox Girl did not get her jewel back, then this would keep happening. The next village and the next.

"I'm sorry. I didn't think this would happen. I didn't mean for all this."

Naruto shook his head, trying to lift some of the raccoon's guilt. "I've done my fair share of pranks, too. I know how it is. Some can go wrong. You didn't know."

He could tell that the raccoon was sorry for what he had done and clearly he had no idea where the jewel was.

"Plus, I'm afraid to return it. If those foxes see me with the jewel, I'm sure they'll attack on sight and even kill me. I'm scared. But it's lost so what can we do?"

An idea popped into Naruto's head. "What if I go to the Fox Girl's place and talk to her? I can tell her that you don't have it anymore and help look for it myself. I can try reasoning with her."

The raccoon looked troubled. "I don't know. Like the other foxes, she tends to avoid humans and doesn't talk to them. Until this, she hardly ever came down from the mountain. I don't think she likes humans very much."

Moments ticked by and the raccoon lifted his head, looking less troubled. It seemed like he had found a glimmer of hope in the darkness.

"Although... I think she'd be fine with you."

"Why's that?"

The raccoon eyed Naruto up and down. "It's hard to put into words but you seem kind of fox-like. There's even this vibe about you."

Was he sensing the nine-tailed fox trapped within his body? At this point, Naruto was willing to do anything, no matter the risk.

"So you think I've got a shot?"

The raccoon nodded. "I think it will be ok if it's you. Yeah. You might be able to speak with her."

Naruto's smile was back. He felt excited and hopeful. There was a way. He could do this.

"But you have to be careful," the raccoon warned. "She is very proud and she is looked upon by the other foxes as a queen. You have to be respectful. You're not only an outsider, but a human. If you go charging in there, she can refuse to help you or even have you killed. Whatever you do, do not piss her off. Remember, she is the only one who can save your friend and maybe the other children whose souls were taken."

"Ok. So what do I do? Any tips?"

"Just try to get on her good side. Flatter her if you can. Don't go making demands. You are in her territory. It's her home and her rules. Don't lose your temper. Don't shout and don't demand. And do not threaten her. Another thing, if you do get on her bad side, not only can she refuse to help you, but she can also take your soul as well. Just one more reason not to annoy her. Without you, your friend is doomed. You are the only one who can speak with her. If your soul is taken, that's it."

Naruto gulped. The image of having his soul ripped from his body sent shivers down his spine. Then the realization that without him, it was all over. If he couldn't do this, no one could. The fox would only see him and speak with no other. It was all up to him.

"So be careful." The raccoon then pointed to the distant mountain. "At the base of that mountain is a tree. It looks like a T because of the way the branches stick out. That is where theirs begins. At that point, you should go alone. It's not good to visit her in crowds. She doesn't like groups of people. You never know. Her foxes might attack, thinking you're hunters or something."

Naruto nodded. "Thanks a lot. Anything else I need to know?"

"Just don't get on her nerves, see her alone and good luck."

"Thanks. I'll try to talk to her and see if she'll stop chasing you down. Let me know if you find the jewel. If you're still scared of her, then I'll give it to her myself."

"Thanks, buddy. Good luck with the Fox Girl." The raccoon turned back into the village and ran away.

Naruto stood up and stared at the village. He was just outside it. He never looked back to see how far he had run. The houses looked like toys from this distance. Very few lights were on. Naruto guessed all the commotion had startled the sleeping villagers and they turned the lights on to have a look. The majority of homes were still dark and quiet.

Naruto clenched his fists. The longer he waited, the shorter time Neji had left. He had to get moving. He went back into the village to tell the remainder of his team where he was heading and to collect his things for the trip.

The lights were on at the headman's house. He could hear voices coming from inside. As Naruto entered, he saw something that made his heart ache.

Lee was cradling Neji in his arms, begging him to wake up. Neji's body was limp and pale. He was still in his bed. The blanket was still over his legs, indicating that Lee had just pulled him out of bed and into this position. No matter how much Lee begged and rocked him, Neji remained limp and silent, his head tilted back over Lee's arm.

Lee spotted Naruto in the doorway and looked up, unashamed of his tears. "I cannot wake him up. Neji is not breathing."

He never woke up by the looks of things. He never saw the fox coming. There were no signs of a struggle. Neji simply died in his sleep, never waking up. Never knowing what was happening to him.

Naruto bit his lip. If only he had been faster. If only he had gotten him out of bed when the flute started playing. Why did he have to follow Sai and Lee out of the village? He should have let them go and gone back for him. What a foolish mistake. This was all his fault.

Sai was still standing, looking over the body in Lee's arms. "His heart stopped, too," he said simply. "We think he's..."

Lee sobbed.

Naruto stepped into the room. He couldn't accept this. There must have been a way to fix this. They had one hope left. "I think I know how we can save him."

"What are you talking about?" Lee asked.

"I just found out that it was a fox who did this to him and that there is a way it can be reversed."

Lee started to smile through his tears. "Really? There is a way?"

Naruto nodded. "There's a mountain a little ways away from here where there's someone called the Fox Girl. She might be able to save his life. I'm going there now."

"We're going, too." Sai was already strapping on his backpack.

"No way. She will only see me and even that's a stretch. Besides, what about Neji? We would have to carry him all the way there. Unless we just leave him here and come back with a cure."

Sai shook his head. "It may be more of a hassle, but we have to take him with us. If we get to the mountain and find out he can only be cured if he is there for some reason, then we would have to come all the way back here to fetch him and all the way back again. If we're on a time crunch, then that makes it even harder. We have to take him with us."

Naruto hadn't thought of that. What if the Fox Girl needed his body in front of her in order to revive him? Naruto hadn't given it much thought until now. It seemed doubtful now that he thought about it that she would have a magic potion for him that Naruto could bring back. Maybe there was a ritual that had to be performed. Since the Fox Girl could suck a person's soul out of their body by kissing them, then it stood to reason that that was how it needed to be put back. If that was the case then she would have to come back to this village in order to do it. If she hated crowds of people and avoided humans, it was possible that she would refuse to do that. Sai was right. They had to carry Neji and bring him along.

"You're right. We have to take him with us."

They prepared themselves for the trip. The headman protested that their work was no yet done here because their children were still missing, but Sai told him that saving Neji was important because he was the one who saw his attacker who may have been the one who took the children away. They were going to the culprit's home. This was more or less true for the most part. It seemed even Sai could lie when he needed to. Although, as he pointed out, it wasn't really a lie.

They were all packed and ready to head to the mountain. Now all they had to do was gather up Neji. Lee pulled Neji onto his back and gave him a piggyback ride. For added support, he tied a sash around his waist and Neji's, keeping them joined. Naruto helped tie Neji's wrists together around Lee's neck so he wouldn't slip off. Naruto flinched when he touched Neji's hand. It was cold. No matter how he touched him, no matter what he did, Neji never responded. He was like a doll, never even twitching.

After Neji's wrists were tied, Naruto found himself staring at him. He wasn't expecting Neji to move. He was just reflecting. As he stared at Neji's motionless face, all he kept thinking was how he had let this happen.

"Naruto," Sai prompted.

"Yeah. Let's go."

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	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5: **

The journey to the mountain was longer than expected. Since the mountain was a spec in the distance, Naruto knew it would take a while to get there. At normal pace, it would take a day or so to reach it. With Naruto's group moving at top seed, they made it in a few hours. Lee was careful in how he ran with Neji strapped to his back. In his current condition, Neji could not brace himself or anything. With every step Lee took, Neji's body bounced against his back, head slamming into Lee's shoulders and skull. Lee slowed his pace slightly and took it easy with his footing, so he wouldn't cause Neji damage. The last thing he wanted to do was knock his teeth out or injure him. He tried to take even steps and avoid bumps or stones.

The mountain was growing ever closer. The sun had risen some time ago, staring down their backs. The group chased their shadows into afternoon. Naruto's legs ached. They had been running nonstop all this while. He didn't want to rest. He had to get to the mountain quickly for Neji's sake. He could rest when this was done. Lee didn't seem to want to take a break either. He was just as determined as Naruto.

"We're almost there," announced Sai. "That's the one, isn't it, Naruto?"

Naruto looked at the mountain in front of them. The was bare of green, just a massive pile or rocks. This must have been the mountain the raccoon told him about. "Yeah, this is it. It's that one."

"Then let us hurry!" Lee tried to speed up but Neji's body started to slam into his back again so Lee slowed his pace. He couldn't run as fast as he wanted with Neji like this.

Drawing ever closer, they ran. It was the middle of the day and everything was bright. As they drew closer, the grass under their feet had started to turn yellow and rough. The trees were few and far between. Come late afternoon, they came across one that made Naruto stop.

It was a small tree, with bark like marble. Its branches were in the shape of a T, stretching outward rather than toward the sky. Just as the raccoon described.

"This is it." Naruto stood at the tree and turned to his comrades. "This is the Fox Girl's territory."

Now that he was standing at the base of the mountain, he saw just how big it was. It was all stone. Not a single tree grew on this mountain. It was absent of all green. The top of the mountain seemed to touch the sky. The distance it took to get here seemed to be the same distance as to the top of the mountain. There didn't seem to be a path to the top, either. Just a pile of rocks for him to climb.

Lee unstrapped Neji from his back and gently set him down on a large stone so he was in a sitting position. Neji looked very pale. When Naruto touched his hand this time, it was cold as ice. He had grown even colder. He still wasn't breathing and his heartbeat was absent. He looked dead.

Naruto bit his lip. Again he felt a twinge of guilt and looked away.

"So the one who did this to him lives here?" asked Sai.

"Yeah." Naruto lifted his head to look at the mountain. "She's here. I have to be the one to talk to her. She won't see anyone else. I'm our best shot."

"It will be hard to carry Neji all the way up that mountain," said Lee.

"No, I have to go alone. You guys stay here with Neji. I'll go talk to her and tell her our situation. Then I'll come back for you guys."

"Why don't you want us with you?" asked Sai.

"Because the raccoon told me that she hates crowds of people. If I go alone, it should be fine. Plus, according to the raccoon, the foxes don't like humans in their area. If you go past that tree there, they might attack you."

"True. We don't want them attacking us. The Fox Girl may refuse to help us if we fight against her foxes to defend ourselves. If she doesn't want us to enter, we'd better not," said Sai. "Besides, I read in a book once that foxes will sometimes eat dead bodies. If we bring along Neji, they may try to eat him. At least, that's what I've read."

"Do not say that!" cried Lee.

"What? That's what I've read."

"Do not say they will eat Neji!"

"Was that poor timing on my part? What did I say?"

Naruto turned back to Neji and touched his icy hand. "Don't worry. I'll fix this. Just hang on a little while longer. I'll get her to fix you up. I promise."

When Naruto stood up, Lee and Sai were facing him with serious expressions.

"We'll be waiting right here for you."

"Hurry back, Naruto. We will keep Neji safe until you do."

"Thanks, guys."

Lee gave Naruto a thumbs-up and a big smile. "Good luck!"

Naruto nodded and faced the mountain. Taking a deep breath, he started his climb. He jumped to a nearby stone and kept going. His legs were tired after all that running. They were starting to feel weak. He stopped jumping and started to climb more slowly.

"I must be at least halfway up by now." When Naruto looked down, he could no longer see his friends or the tree they were waiting by. He was so high up, he must have been close to the top. When he looked forward, he realized he wasn't even close. He was less than a quarter up this massive mountain. He didn't think it was nearly this big. This was going to take forever.

He crawled up the mountain's surface, rocks hot from their long bask in the afternoon sun. His hands were filthy and so were his knees. His body was aching from this huge climb. Still, he wasn't halfway. How could he have misjudged the height so drastically? It didn't seem too bad when he was looking at it from the ground. Now that he was climbing, the top didn't seem to be getting any closer.

Naruto sat on a stone to catch his breath. His shoulders were is pain, too. He took a drink of water from his canteen and looked at the view. It was gorgeous up here. He would see for miles. He could even see a tiny village a few fields away. "That must have been Rikki's home village. The one he left." Naruto frowned. That was where those children died and where Rikki's pain began.

There wasn't much there. It looked small and not just because of the distance. There were about a dozen buildings, if that, and not much else. There were no signs of life. It was a ghost town.

Come to think of it, this mountain was a similar way. If this mountain belonged to the Fox Girl and her fox clan, then where were they? In all this time, Naruto had never once seen any signs of life. Not even a bird. Where was everyone? Were they on the other side? This must have been the right mountain. He followed the raccoon's directions perfectly. This was it.

"Then where are all the foxes?"

Naruto resumed his climb. The sun was behind a cloud now, but he knew it was getting close to sunset. This was taking a lot longer than he thought. Still, the top was nowhere in sight. This was going horribly slow.

As Naruto pulled himself up onto another rock, he noticed something to his right. It looked like a small opening in the side of the mountain. It seemed promising. He climbed a little higher, then walked to the right. It was an opening. A cave. The opening was wide enough for him to walk through without bending over. Cold air caressed his face. He was sweating so much from the climb and the run that the cold air felt good on his body.

Without fear, he entered the cave. It was nice and cool in here. It was dark, too. The inside of the cave was made of stone, too. It was a perfect tunnel. Naruto looked at the stone walls and ceiling as he walked. He wondered if this was the way to the foxes. At least he was out of the sun and able to cool off. Anything beat more climbing.

The tunnel opened up into a wide cave with a tall ceiling. Stalactites pointed down from the ceiling as if taking aim at the human intruder. There was a pile of stone to his right on the far side of the cave. Despite it being a cave, it was actually brighter than the tunnel he used to get here. He looked around for where the light could be coming from. It must have been from another opening or a torch or something. He walked around the stone pile, still searching for life and where the light was coming from. It made seeing easier but what good was it if he couldn't find a single fox?

This was a good sized cave, though. It was bigger than his whole apartment. Several dozen foxes could fit in here with ease. Except for the large pile of rocks, the cave was flat for the most part. The stalactites stretched down to the floor in a couple of places, making large pillars. Naruto counted four pillars in total. The ceiling was huge and high up. It was almost as high as the domed ceiling in Rikki's cave. This one didn't have a jungle gym, though. It was so empty in here.

"Who's there?"

Naruto shivered. That hissing question sent a chill up his spine. Whoever asked that must have been nearby. It sounded like it was right on top of him.

He wasn't alone. Which made him happy and frightened at the same time.

Rocks started to shift and the voice came again. "Who dares enter my domain?"

It was coming from the rock pile behind him. Naruto slowly turned around and almost screamed from the shock.

It was a huge fox. Almost as big as the nine-tails. Its fur was a ghostly green and its eyes were like glowing searchlights, shining down upon him. Its lower body was hidden behind the rock pile, but its upper body stretched all the way to the ceiling and bent over the pile and stared him down. The fox's fur flickered and waved like the flames of a fire. It was staring right at him with two huge pupil-less eyes. A female voice boomed from its muzzle.

"Who are you?!"

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	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6: **

Naruto was so surprised he stumbled back, lost his balance and sat on the cave floor. His heart started pounding. His legs throbbed with the urge to run, but they were numb with fear at the same time. All he could do was sit where he was and stare at the giant fox towering above him. This fox was a little smaller than the nine-tails but somehow he found it more frightening. Maybe it was because of the pupil-less eyes staring at him like searchlights. Maybe it was the ghostly green fur that danced like flames. Perhaps it was the voice she used to demand for answers.

He was terrified. Would she pounce on him if he moved? Would she steal his soul and leave him an empty husk as she had Neji? The thought made his skin crawl. He stayed perfectly still.

The huge fox head bore down on his from the ceiling and roared, "Why are you here?! Who are you, human?!"

"Uh... Uh..."

"Speak!"

That powerful voice shouting at him... It left him cowering on the floor like a child. No one had ever spoken to him with such a voice before. Not even Tsunade when she was lecturing him. Or Sakura when she lost her temper and was about to hit him with all her strength. Every word the fox shouted was like a slap in the face. He didn't want her to say another word. It terrified him more than he could put into words.

He felt like he had a knife to his throat. If he didn't answer, she would slit it. If he gave the wrong answer, she would kill him. What was he supposed to do? What should he say? She already saw him so there was no point in hiding or transforming into something else. He could run, but that would defeat the purpose of coming here. He finally found her. He couldn't just run away. He had to think of his friends waiting for him at the mountain's base. Of Neji who needed his soul returned as quickly as possible. He couldn't run. Even if he felt he was going to be swallowed up any second. The fox was so massive, she could eat him in one bite.

"I... I'm..." It was so hard to talk. His voice was shaking. Talking to the nine-tails would have been much easier. At least then he knew it wouldn't eat him or kill him. It needed Naruto in order to survive. This fox had no attachment to him whatsoever. If she wanted to kill him, she could. Maybe that's what scared him the most about her. Not just her appearance but her motivation and whims. He didn't know much about her other than what the raccoon had mention. If she had a short temper, he was at high risk of being devoured. Those teeth alone were just as big as he was. It wouldn't take much at all.

That huge head. She could swallow him whole if she wanted to. This was just the front of her body. The rest was hidden behind the rocks. She must have been even bigger. She wasn't even standing up fully, and her head touched the ceiling.

Wait a minute. It wasn't touching the ceiling. It was through the ceiling.

Naruto leaned closer, staring at the top of her head. Her ears were going through the stalactites. No part of her head bent or moved when it touched the ceiling. Was she a ghost? No, that wasn't it. It was something else. Come to think of it, they were in a cave which made her voice sound even louder when it echoed. When she was yelling at him, her mouth was wide open above his head, but he felt no air coming from it. She had no breath. No smell. When she moved her paw over the rocks, none of them shifted. Surely something that big would cause some of them to move when she stepped.

"Wait a second..." Naruto stared the fox up and down. His fear drained out of him and was replaced with confusion and wonder. "Is that... an illusion?"

The fox stopped shouting and its voice became slightly softer. "What did you say, human?"

"Your body... it's not real, is it? Is that an illusion?" It was something he simply had to ask.

The fox stared at him for the longest time. Then her lips curled into a foxy grin and she started to chuckle.

"You're good. Most humans can't see through my illusions. You're a clever one. You have earned the privilege of seeing my true form."

The green furred fox melted away like a lifted fog and a smaller fox sat atop the rock pile.

Naruto stood up, relieved that she was a lot smaller in reality. He stood in front of the rock pile and looked at her true form.

His eyes widened.

She was a fox, about the size of a human being. Her fur was white like snow and her eyes were red. The part of her eyes that were supposed to be white were black, giving her red eyes a more ghoulish or demonic appearance. On her back was a pelt. A human's skin.

Seeing the skinned human on her back made Naruto's scalp crawl and his stomach ache. It was the skin of a human girl with black hair. The eyes were missing as well as every bone, making her look like a sheet. Just a sheet of human flesh. Naruto had never seen such a thing and it made him queasy.

"What's wrong?" asked the fox. Her voice was a lot softer now, but still carried an air of authority. "Humans skin foxes and wear our fur. Is there something wrong with us wearing the skin of a human? Is it a double standard?"

Was this what foxes must have felt like when they saw humans parading around in their fur? Wearing the skin of their comrades? Their own kind?

Naruto shook his head. "I wouldn't know. I don't wear fur and I don't think any of my friends do, either."

The fox smiled. "Good answer. That is what I like to hear. A human with some sense."

Of course. He had to get on the fox's good side if he expected help. He had to watch himself and be on his best behavior. He had to be very careful about what he said and did. Anything could be taken the wrong way if he wasn't careful about how he phrased something.

"Sorry I didn't properly introduce myself. My name is Naruto Uzumaki. You can just call me Naruto if you want. And I'm really sorry for coming in here without permission. I didn't know anyone lived in the mountain. I just saw the cave and had to get out of the sun. Sorry about that."

So far, the fox seemed calm and unprovoked. "It's fine. Thank you for the apology. Since you have given your name, it is only fair that I give you mine. I am the Fox Girl."

He knew it. This was her. "The Fox Girl," he repeated.

"Yes. That is my title and what everyone knows me as." She eyed Naruto up and down. "I have to say, you look very different from other humans I've seen. The tools you carry... they're not that of a hunter."

Naruto looked down at his belt and at the strap on his leg. "Oh." Thinking that she might see him as a threat, Naruto quickly removed them and handed them over to her. Now he was unarmed. "I'm not a hunter at all. I swear."

She sniffed his bag of tools. He removed his backpack and handed it over as well, which she also sniffed thoroughly. "You don't seem to be one. You're even dressed differently from the hunters I've seen."

"Yeah. I'm not a hunter. I'm a ninja."

"Which would explain why these knives you carry are too small for hunting. So you are a ninja? Tell me, what is that? What do you do?"

"Oh. Well..." Naruto had never really been asked that before. Everyone knew what a ninja was. Maybe animals didn't. "Ninja get assigned to do different missions from people who need help and can't do it themselves. Then we get paid when our job is done and if we did it right."

"So you help other humans? So not every human can be a ninja. I see. I've never seen you around here before. Does that mean that you are on assignment now?"

"Yeah, I am." Naruto decided that this was a good time to bring up why he was here in the first place. "Some friends and I were asked to come out this way because of some things that have been happening. Someone told me that the last couple of villages have all their children die overnight for no apparent reason. In fact, one of my friends had his soul taken last night at the village we were called to and we were told to come here to get it back."

The Fox Girl sat and listened. Her face slowly grew sad and regretful. "I'm afraid I am the reason for that. I took your friend's soul last night. I'm sorry for that."

"Why did you do it?"

"Because I was looking for something very important to me. A raccoon stole my jewel and I've been trying to get it back. Since raccoons can change their form, I figured he would be disguised as a human while hiding among them in a village. My foxes have been scouting the land for the raccoon. The jewel is kept in the mouth so the only way to get it back is through a kiss. Unfortunately, if the jewel isn't there, then the soul is taken instead."

The story checked out. The raccoon's story matched hers. "So that's why all those children and my friend are dead."

"Your friend is not dead. Yet. The way the magic works is that they will survive for some time without their soul. They are just in a vegetative state. Call it suspended animation."

"So he's not dead? How long can a person survive without their soul?"

"Four months. After that, they die and their bodies rot away."

Naruto thought back to what Rikki had said. This happened once every month. The village Naruto was called to was the third village, which meant that his home village's children were in this state for three months. There was still time to save them. To save all of them.

"Can this be reversed?" Naruto asked. Since she said they could survive this way for four months then that must have meant that they could be saved.

"Yes."

Naruto felt a wave of hope and relief. He could save Neji and all the children who have had their souls taken. "Oh, good! Could you please give my friend his soul back and all those children from the other villages? They're innocent. Please?"

The Fox Girl shook her head. "I cannot do that."

Naruto's heart sank. He tried so hard to keep his cool. If he lost his temper now, something else might happen to make everything worse. "But why?"

The Fox Girl sighed, sensing his disappointment. "Because that jewel allowed me to reverse it. Without the jewel, I cannot fix anything. I'm sorry."

Naruto slowly fell to his knees at those words. They needed the jewel do save them. Of all things for that raccoon to steal, it had to be that. Without that jewel, there was nothing they could do.

"That is why I need it back," said the Fox Girl. "I want to change this as much as you do. I know they were innocent. I am not so heartless."

Naruto lifted his head. "Why would people think you're heartless? You seem like a pretty nice per... uh, fox."

The fox smiled gently at him but her eyes held a deep sadness. "We didn't always live here in the mountain. We used to live in the woods close to human villages. Our kind was not well liked by the humans. They did not like us eating the food they left out on their windows or growing in their gardens. They hated us digging through their trash or bothering their pets. They would set traps for us, beat us with brooms, throw boiling water at us when we came too close. Even in the woods they left traps. They would cut off our tails, or kill us and skin us. Our dead were cooked and eaten, their pelts used by the humans for fashion, or they would leave the bodies in the woods as a warning. It became too much so we fled to where we are now."

"That's awful." Naruto truly meant that.

The Fox Girl hung her head sadly. "It was always that way with our kind. Hunters, farmers. No one seems to care for us. We had to flee in order to be safe. Being hated just because we exist. How cruel."

"I can relate to that," said Naruto. "I was mistreated all my life. Both my parents are dead so I grew up alone without knowing the love of a family. I would see all these kids go home with their parents and I felt so lonely and jealous. When I tried to play with the other kids, their parents would pull them away and tell them not to go near me. Other kids were like that, too. They wouldn't play with me because they heard their parents talking about me and called me a monster. I was always alone and it was so painful. Sometimes I would pretend I had a family, but it wasn't the same. Everyone in my village hated me. I wanted to be great so they would all respect me and see me as someone who mattered. I trained hard and I always ended up failing anyway and got laughed at. But that didn't stop me. I kept going and tried harder and harder every time. One day it paid off and I became a ninja with the technique I could never do before. It was the reason I always failed. Now I have friends and now I'm stronger than I was and getting stronger all the time. They actually like me and I would do anything for them."

When Naruto became silent, the Fox Girl spoke to him. "Is it because you are a fox that they hate you so?"

Naruto looked up. "How did you know?"

"I can sense something in you that's fox-like. You don't seem like a normal human to me. Am I right?"

There was no denying the truth from another fox. She already knew. "Yeah. I have the nine-tailed fox spirit inside of me. That's why they called me a monster and hated me."

"A nine-tails. Very powerful and rare. It's no wonder." She seemed very pleased to have Naruto in her cave in the mountain. She wasn't threatened by him or angry or jealous. She liked him. Maybe she thought of them as equals? "You have lucky friends. Never be ashamed of being a fox."

Naruto nodded. "I would do anything for them. Which is why I came here hoping you could save my friend's life. I'm not going to give up. No matter what."

"I would love to help you, but you know my paws are tied. I wish I could help your friend."

"What if I help you find the jewel? If I get it back to you, you can help my friend and all those other children, right?"

"You would go after the raccoon?" she asked sounding surprised.

Naruto thought quickly. The raccoon said he had dropped it somewhere and it was lost. Now he was running scared. He was worried about what the Fox Girl would do to him. "If I do find the jewel and return it to you, would you let the raccoon go? There's no longer a reason to chase after him, right?"

The Fox Girl frowned. "He must be punished for stealing. Where is the lesson if I just let him go? We've never gotten along with them, anyway."

"Don't you share this mountain, though?" asked Naruto.

"We lived here with the raccoons, but soon there were problems about territory and food. We arrived around the same time they did so there was no 'here first'. Finally we settled on a deal. We split the land in half. We get this half and they have the other and never the two shall cross. That was the deal. If they wander into ours, it's asking for trouble. Foxes eat raccoons, or at least we can. Raccoons and foxes do not get along anyway. Never have. Then one day one decides to come into our territory and steal from me. That is punishable by death! Of all to steal from, it's me? He must have a death wish."

"How do you know it was a raccoon?"

"Because of his scent. Plus, we overheard some of his friends bragging from the boarder and said that he had fled to a human village after he stole my jewel. The jewel is useless to anyone else. A raccoon would not be able to use it. Only a fox can. He must have taken it to spite me."

"Or to prove he was brave. Or because he was ordered to." Naruto swallowed. "I mean, I don't think he took it to hurt you. I don't think he knew what it was. If he really meant to spite you or something, then why would he be running for his life? If he's scared then he must not have known what he was getting into. Like you said, he's a young one so maybe he didn't know any better."

The Fox Girl looked away. "Judge his actions as that of a child's, you say?"

"Well... yeah, I guess so. I mean, I've done things without thinking and they ended up being really bad and I never meant for that to happen. I got better at it, but sometimes, I still do something I didn't know was wrong but I had good intentions."

"Oh?"

"Yeah." Naruto remembered back a few years ago, just before he became a ninja. "I was told to take a scroll one time by a ninja. This was before I was one, so he would be like my sensei. He told me that it would help me and I believed him because he was my superior. So I took it. Then I found out that he tricked me into stealing it. I didn't know I was stealing and I had no idea what it was. I wasn't supposed to look at it let alone touch it. Everyone was super mad at me and jumped to conclusions. They thought I was going to use it against them or sell it to an enemy or something. I had no idea. I was tricked by someone I trusted. Luckily, my sensei came and helped me out and the scroll was put back safely. The guy hated me for having the nine-tails inside me so he thought I deserved it."

"I see. The hatred is endless. Even to elders."

"Yeah, but my sensei knew what I was and still helped me out." Naruto started to smile, remembering that day. It still filled his heart with joy and hope. Hope for himself and for other people. Hope that people who see him for something other than a monster, like his sensei did. "He trusted me and knew I would never do anything evil. That I was tricked and didn't want to attack the village. He stood up for me and protected me. And when he was in danger, I protected him. He's a great friend. He's sort of like a dad to me. I've never had one, but I figured that's what it would be like to have one."

The Fox Girl listened and observed. She noticed his smile and started to grin herself.

Naruto noticed her watching him and wiped the smile off his face. "Uh, sorry. I didn't mean to... Sorry."

"It's fine. I don't mind."

"I wasn't talking too much?"

"Not at all. I liked it."

Naruto blinked. "Oh?"

"Yes." She bowed her head, grinning. "Despite everything our kind has seen, I don't hate humans. Every now and then, we come across ones like you who are decent. Ones who are understanding. Ones who know our pain. Although, those are rare to come by."

"I hope you find others out there. I'm glad I met you, after all."

The Fox Girl lifted her head. "Even though I took your friend's soul my mistake?"

"Yeah. I know you didn't mean it. I understand why you did it."

She eyed him up and down. "Are you saying that I will be forgiven?"

Naruto shut his mouth before he could say what he wanted to say. She may take it the wrong way if he said that he would forgive her. She might get angry. "Uh... No, no. Forgiveness has nothing to do with it. I mean..." He had to think of something to say quickly that wouldn't be misinterpreted. "I mean... I can't pass judgment onto others who... who are far better than I am. I would be wrong to even think something like that. You are the one in the right to do that sort of thing. Not me. And besides, I'm the one who came into your home without being announced. That would be really rude."

She didn't seem offended. He must have said the right thing.

Still, he wanted to be sure so he apologized anyway. "Sorry. I was talking and I..."

"You're fine. Don't worry."

Naruto let out a deep breath. It was hard not to say the wrong thing. He really had to think before he spoke.

"Uh, but... Fox Girl... If I can make a request..?"

"What sort of request?" Her tone was serious. Did she not like the way he phrased it? Should he have said something else?

"Uh... Well..." He gulped. He spoke slowly to make sure the words came out correctly. "If I can find your jewel and return it, could you please spare the raccoon who stole it? He might have been like me a few years ago and didn't realize what he was doing. Please?"

The Fox Girl gave him a hard look and said nothing.

Fearing she wouldn't do it, afraid that he had said the wrong thing and angered her, Naruto quickly bowed at the rock pile. His forehead touched the cold ground as he bowed before her, exposing the back of his neck to the Fox Girl. "Please. Please, give me a chance to make this right for everyone. Please give me a chance. Please. Please."

He didn't want that frightened raccoon to suffer because of a stupid dare. He clearly learned his lesson. He was terrified. He didn't deserve to die. He didn't want those children to suffer either or for Neji to die. He wanted to help make this right where no one had to suffer.

Naruto heard her speak from atop her pile of stone. "Lift you head."

Naruto looked up.

"I will give you a chance. There is no need for begging. I can see you are honest and determined. I trust you."

Naruto smiled, relieved. She was going to give him a chance. Naruto bowed to her again, this time in gratitude. "Thank you so much! You are awesome!"

"Raise your head."

Naruto picked himself up and chuckled nervously. "Sorry."

The Fox Girl smiled. "You are a funny one... Naruto."

Naruto chuckled again. When she used his name, he felt as if he were sitting in the company of a friend, not a powerful fox queen.

"Tell me, Naruto," she said. "What does a ninja do exactly? What sort of missions do you go on? What does training entail? What of your village?"

Naruto gave her a surprised look. "You want to know?"

"You are my guest at the moment. I wish to know more about you. I have never spoken with a ninja before and know so little about your kind. I wish to know more. Tell me about yourself. Where do you live?"

"Well... I live in the Leaf Village. It doesn't have a mountain like this. Where I come from, there are a lot of trees, big and green. In the fall, they change color and the leaves fall. Children make piles and play in them. The buildings are made of wood, I guess. I never really thought about it. There are a lot of buildings. And streets, too. Most of the people who live in my village are ninja."

"So not everyone in your village is one, then?"

"No, not everyone. Most are, though. Other people become shop owners or homemakers. A lot of the people there are really friendly."

"Tell me more about the ninja. What do you do? What is your training?"

Suddenly, Naruto found himself talking more than he had in a long, long time. He was never asked about his missions or training before. Not beyond his friends asking him how things went. This was different. He was off and talking a mile a minute. He gave her details where he could and sound effects when words failed him and excitement took over. He was talking her ear off, but she seemed entertained.

He told her about Saukra and his rivalry with Sasuke and about his promise to bring him back home. He told her all about how bad he was in school and how he improved. He told her all about the exams and his first mission. And the next mission and the one after that. About the attack on the village and the huge battle. About the new Hokage and about a man he called Pervy Sage. About how he left for a couple years and came back even stronger. About how his friends became stronger and the new missions he went on. He gave her a whole history.

He told her about his likes and dislikes and his favorite ramen and where the best place was to get it. He told her about holidays and everything he did for fun. Even about some of his childish pranks. She laughed at a few of them, finding them amusing. She listened without a sound most of the time. Sometimes she would pop in a question or a comment, but she seemed to enjoy listening to his stories.

Naruto lost track of time. For the next few hours, Naruto enjoyed sharing his history with the Fox Girl and forgot about his stress. The Fox Girl made good company and she was a great listener.

When Naruto was starting to run out of things to talk about, he became aware of the toll recent events had on his body. He was tired from climbing the mountain and the long run to get here. Which made him think about Rikki. He told her about him next and his clever plan to protect the children from her.

By this time his voice was fading in and out. Naruto didn't know how much she heard now that he was starting to mumble and slur his words. In the beginning, Naruto was very energetic and was bouncing when he spoke. Now he was leaning against the rock pile and spoke with less enthusiasm. His eyes, once so bright and full of zeal, were now drowsy and drooping. He was exhausted and still tried to speak.

He was worn out from his adventure today and from his fun in the cave with the children in Rikki's care. He was tired from his long climb and the run. He was tired from his storytelling and from his whole experience meeting the Fox Girl. Staying up all of last night to make sure his friends got out of the village safely and to get to the mountain didn't help his condition. That coupled with everything else he had been through had Naruto running on empty.

He dragged his eyes open but they closed again soon after. Each time, they remained closed longer and longer and his voice would start to fade. He opened his eyes again and his voice would become more lively but as his eyes drooped, his voice started to slow and fragments would be lost.

The Fox Girl watched with without a word. She knew he couldn't stay awake much longer.

This time when Naruto's eyes closed, they didn't open again but he continued to talk. His voice was soft and most of his words were mumbled. His head started to bob. He leaned back into the rock pile and tried to finish his sentence. "So then... since he had a mission... we rode in... in the... in the carriage... to the... car... carriage..." His lips moved but his voice had stopped working. His head titled to one side coming to rest on his shoulder and he started snoring.

The Fox Girl smiled and approached from the front. She studied his face and sniffed him. Her ears swiveled to his body, listening to his soft breaths. "Well, you held on as long as you could." She grinned. "I enjoyed your stories. Sounds like you had a lot of adventures. You are still so young."

A red fox entered the cave and stopped, staring at Naruto and at the Fox Girl. "Is that a human? Is he a hunter?"

"No, he is not."

The fox sniffed the air and gave the Fox Girl a worried look. "What should we do with him?"

Another fox entered the cave and noticed the intruder sleeping against the pile of rocks. "He's vulnerable now. It would be so easy to kill him."

"He is asleep," said the first fox. "She could perform the kiss."

"She could." The second fox looked to the Fox Girl. "My Lady, would you like us to deal with this human? It would only take a moment to kill him."

"No. He is not for you to touch."

They pinned their ears back and lowered their tails fearfully.

The Fox Girl looked back at Naruto's sleeping face. At those heavy eyes and parted lips. Those vulnerable pink lips. "He is mine to deal with."

* * *

What will she do?

Please review!


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7:**

Sleeping on a pile of rocks wasn't very comfortable. It was no wonder Naruto awoke feeling stiff. He leaned forward, stretching and rubbing his sore back. The stones left small lines in his skin and made his flesh tender. He twisted his back from side to side, trying to relieve the dull pain and make himself more limber.

Naruto rubbed his eyes and looked around the cave. It didn't look any different from how he left it. "I guess I fell asleep." He didn't mean to. He was just too exhausted and couldn't keep his eyes open any longer.

His foot touched something and he looked down. Two peaches and an orange were left by his feet in a deliberate pile. Walnuts, too. There was a small pile of nuts right beside the fruit.

"I see you're awake."

Naruto looked behind him at the Fox Girl sitting atop her stone pile. "Sorry. I didn't mean to fall asleep here in your cave."

"It's alright. You were tired." She gestured to the food on the floor. "Those are for you."

"They are?"

"I knew you would be hungry when you woke up so I had my foxes fetch something for you to eat."

"Wow. Thank you so much." Naruto picked up one of the peaches and started eating. His teeth easily broke the soft peach fuzz and his mouth filled with juice. "Mmm!" He hadn't eaten anything for an entire day. He didn't eat on the journey to the mountain or while he was in the cave. Now that he had tasted food, he wanted more. He started eating as much as he could, as quickly as he could.

The Fox Girl watched him in silence. Naruto started to wonder if eating in front of her like this would be considered rude. Should he offer some to her? Would that be rude because they had gotten this food for him? Eating like this in front of her was uncomfortable, especially with her watching. He had to say something.

"Uh... Have you eaten? I could go out and get food for you if you want." He hoped she would decline.

"I've eaten plenty. Don't trouble yourself."

Naruto went back to eating. He saved the orange for last so he would have something to drink. The foxes didn't bring him any water. It seemed too difficult for them to attempt. He could suck on the orange and drink the juice. He still had his canteen, but he wanted to save what little water he had left. He didn't know where to find a stream to fill it before returning to the other village and it was a long walk back.

"What time is it?" he asked. There was no way of telling inside the dim cave.

"Close to sunset."

Naruto tried to calculate in his mind. "So... I was asleep all day?"

"No. You fell asleep after dawn. You were talking all night and into morning."

"That long? Wow." He didn't think he had been talking that long. But that did explain his slightly sore throat. He sucked on the orange to rehydrate.

A fox entered the cave, panting heavily. "My lady! We have news!"

Naruto stopped his sucking to listen, orange still in his teeth.

"We have found the raccoon and your jewel!"

The Fox Girl stood on her perch and her long white tail waved in the air like a dancing flame. "Where?" she demanded. Her tone was harsh and impatient.

"The jewel was discovered in the desert. In a human village. And we saw the raccoon in his human form. He has the rings around his eyes and everything. A human raccoon."

Hearing this, the Fox Girl became angry and unmerciful. It seemed she had forgotten about their talk last night and was out for blood. Her rage had taken over and her eyes were on fire. "My jewel! My precious jewel! I will extract it from that human raccoon and take back what is rightfully mine!"

The jewel was found? That was a huge relief. Now everything could be fixed. Once she had it back, all the souls that were taken could be returned.

Still, how did the raccoon manage to get all the way into the desert? Naruto saw that young raccoon heading in the opposite direction. What was he doing in the desert of all places?

In a village in the desert. A human raccoon.

Naruto's eyes widened in horror and he dropped the orange, getting to his feet. "Wait. But that's..."

The Fox Girl leapt off her throne and into the tunnel leading outside.

"Wait! Stop!" Naruto gave chase. He followed her down the tunnel, calling after her. "That's not the raccoon! That's Gaara! You have the wrong..!"

She was too fast for him. She was already out of sight. Naruto broke into sunlight and was momentarily blinded in the late afternoon sunlight. He looked down. There she was, leaping from stone to stone down the side of the mountain and raced across the field of brown and into the grass. She was so fast! In no time, she was in the grassy fields and getting smaller and smaller.

Overcome with horror, Naruto screamed after her. "Come back! You have the wrong person! It's not him!"

She had her sights set on Gaara. True, his appearance did resemble a raccoon, but he wasn't the one they were looking for. He was a human. If she performed the kiss on Gaara, she would end up sucking out his soul just as she had the others and leave him a lifeless husk. He didn't have the jewel. She was going to suck out his soul and nothing else. Another innocent to add to the list. Without the jewel, there would be no way of returning him to normal.

The jewel was still missing. Gaara would lose his soul and there would be no way to get it back. He would be just like Neji and all those other children mistaken for dead. If enough time passed, they would all be dead. There was a time limit.

Naruto was going to lose another friend.

"Come back!" Naruto's voice echoed but the Fox Girl was long gone. He couldn't see her at all. "Come back! COME BACK!"

His body was in motion, attempting to do what his heart wanted. He wanted to stop her. Not realizing he was still on the mountain, his legs started running as if he were on the ground. In two steps, he ended up tumbling over the edge and fell onto the rocks below. He bounced off one and into another. His body was rolling down the side of the mountain. He reached out to stop himself, focusing his chakra to the palm of his hand and caught himself before he could tumble any further.

He looked into the distance and saw no sign of the Fox Girl and no sign of hope. Both were long gone.

By the time he reached the Sand Village to warn Gaara, he would already be in the same state as Neji. There was no way he could stop her in time. Even if she didn't take Gaara's soul, she would be considered an enemy. Charging off the way she did, there was no doubt they would attack her. The Sand ninja would kill her if she even came near Gaara or he would do it himself to protect his village and defeat himself. If she died, there was no way for the souls to be returned and all would be lost. She was the only one who could do it.

Either way, someone was going to be on the losing side and in either case, Naruto would be the loser. If Gaara lost his soul, Naruto would lose because there was no way to bring him back with the jewel still missing. If the Fox Girl got killed, he would lose because then, even if the jewel was found, there was no one around who could use its power and return everyone's soul. There was also the possibility of Gaara getting his soul taken and the ninja retaliate by killing the Fox Girl. It was a no-win situation in any case.

"Damn it!" Naruto lowered himself onto a stone and sat there, beating himself up. If only he were faster. If only he could have stopped her from leaving. If only there was a way to warn Gaara. He felt like such a failure.

"Naruto?"

He looked down. Sai and Lee were trying to climb up the mountain, even though Naruto had told them to stay away from this area. "What are you guys doing here?"

"We heard you screaming so we came to see what was happening," said Lee. Neji was on his back again. It seemed Lee didn't want Neji out of his sight for a second. "Is everything alright?"

"No, it's not." Naruto pointed to the horizon. "The Fox Girl took off for the desert thinking that Gaara is the raccoon who stole her jewel. If I don't warn him, he'll get his soul taken, too. And if she tries to enter the village, everyone will attack and kill her and without her, we can't get Neji back. Or anyone who had their souls taken."

Sai looked into the distance. "We can try to catch up."

"She's too fast. We'll never make it. I couldn't outrun her when Neji got his soul taken. She's already had a head start. We'll never catch her now."

"Maybe not on foot." Sai took out a scroll. "I have an idea."

"Yeah?"

Sai unrolled the scroll and took out a brush and ink. "If we fly there, we'll have a chance. I'll get you there quickly."

Naruto could have hugged him. "Sai, you rock!"

Sai drew two large birds which stretched from the scroll and grew larger. They landed and bent down, waiting for their riders. "You take that one and we'll take the second. It'll take us longer because we have Neji. You get a head start, Naruto. We'll catch up."

"Thanks, Sai. I owe you." Naruto climbed onto one of the birds which immediately flew off from the mountain.

This was much faster than running. He looked back and couldn't see his friends anymore and the mountain was getting further away. He faced forward and tried to will the bird to go faster. It seemed to understand his wants and flapped its wings faster. Naruto flattened himself to its back, hoping this would help create less resistance and make them even faster. Like this, Naruto couldn't see where they were going, but he put his trust in the bird, hoping it knew where it was supposed to go.

Soon, Naruto tasted sand. He squinted in twilight and saw waves of sand below. The Sand Village would be showing up soon. He kept an eye out, all the while praying he wasn't too late. He kept having visions of Gaara having his soul ripped out of his body over mistaken identity. He had to be there. He had to make it in time.

A dull light shone in the mist of sand before him. It was the Sand Village. "Go lower!" Naruto ordered the bird, hoping it would listen to him. It obediently flew lower, taking Naruto over the dunes and toward the light from the village. So far, Naruto seemed to be the only one around the outskirts of the village. As they drew closer, the bird suddenly melted away into ink and Naruto had to run the rest of the way on his own. Naruto's legs sank into the sand, slowing his steps, but Naruto pushed himself onward.

Some lights were moving by the entrance and he ran towards them. Two ninja stopped him before he could enter. "Hold it. Who are you and what are you doing here?"

"State your business."

Naruto didn't have time for this. "I have to get in there. Please let me through."

They wouldn't let him pass. "We told you to explain-"

"Hang on!" a third man entered the conversation. "I know him. That's Naruto. He helped the Kazekage when he was kidnapped. He's a friend of Lord Gaara."

"He is?"

"Yes, yes, I know him. Let him through."

Naruto pushed his way through and over to the man who vouched for him. "Thanks for that. I need to see Gaara right away. He could be in danger."

"You were sent to warn him?"

"Yeah, yeah. Where is he?"

The man led Naruto into the village. "This way. He should be at his office still. What is the danger?"

Naruto thought about what he should say. "Did you see any foxes pass through here tonight?"

"Foxes? In the desert? No. Not likely."

Good. He had made it in time.

Naruto didn't say anything further until they reached Gaara's office. Before the man could knock, Naruto pushed him out of the way and opened the door. "Gaara!"

The door flew open with such force, it knocked over the pile of papers on the desk. The papers floated down like leaves from a tree and onto the floor. Through the papers, Naruto saw the red-head sitting behind the desk, hunched over paperwork. He looked up slowly when he heard Naruto's voice.

"Naruto. This is a surprise." Gaara set his pen down. "Nice to see you."

Naruto hurried to Gaara's desk. "I need to talk to you. Right now. It's important."

"What is it?"

Where to start? Only one thing entered his mind so Naruto asked that question first.

"Have you come across any jewels lately by chance?"

"Jewels?" Gaara thought about it. "No. I haven't seen any. What kind of jewels?"

"I have no idea. I just wanted to make sure you didn't have anything that someone would mistake... Never mind. It's a long story. So nothing new came this way. That's good."

"The only thing that comes close to a jewel would be that stone over there." Gaara pointed to the bookcase behind Naruto. He turned around and looked at one of the shelves.

On that shelf was a small stone, smooth and shining. It was being used as a paperweight.

"Shikamaru found it in his bag and didn't have a use for it so he gave it to me. I've been using it to keep those papers down. I think it's a quartz but I can't be sure. It seems odd to me."

"Shikamaru gave it to you?"

"Yeah. He said he found it in his bag, but he didn't remember putting it in there. Is it yours? He said he was traveling with you on his way here."

Naruto's heart skipped a beat. It all started to fall into place. Neji had chased away an animal that was sitting on the back of their carriage. It must have been the raccoon he met.

He had the jewel before they arrived at the village but when the carriage pulled away, he didn't have it anymore and assumed it was lost. They were keeping their bags in the back of the carriage where the raccoon had been sitting. This was what Naruto believed.

"The raccoon must have dropped it in Shikamaru's bag and that's how it got all the way here. No wonder they're coming here! You have it after all."

"What are you talking about?"

Naruto turned and quickly told Gaara everything. It was a long explanation done in two breaths but Gaara seemed to understand perfectly. "So because it's in your office in your village and everything, they think you're the one who stole it. The Fox Girl is super pissed and she's coming here to take it back."

"By sucking out my soul?"

"Yeah, but now maybe we can just hand it to her instead. What do you think?"

Gaara looked at the stone on the shelf and back at Naruto. "Honestly, I was just going to give it to my sister because I have little use for it. I see no reason not to give it back to its rightful owner. It will get everyone's soul back, right? It seems like the right thing to do."

"Yup!" Naruto was beaming. "This is going so smoothly. It's so easy."

"But what happens when she shows up here? Won't she attack me, thinking I'm the thief? Even if we explain things, do you really think she'll listen? You mentioned how angry she was. I'm not sure how willing she will be."

That was a spirit-crusher. Gaara had a point. Naruto saw her temper the moment she heard that her jewel had been found. Even after she had said she would be lenient. She was quick to act. Maybe too quick. Would she be willing to listen?

"If she attacks, then I don't have to tell you that the people of this village will defend it and its Kazekage."

Which was exactly what Naruto was worried about. If they attacked her, they might either make things worse and she'll no longer be willing to return any human souls. Worse, they might end up killing her and then no one would ever get their souls back and everything was done.

"I know you need her alive, Naruto. I know she has to return those souls. But if there's a fight, it may be unavoidable. I'll do what I can, but there are no promises."

"I know." Naruto turned to Gaara. "I just wanted to make sure I beat her here so she wouldn't take your soul either. I didn't want to lose another friend."

Gaara stared into Naruto's eyes. "You rushed over here not for the jewel but for me?"

"Well... yeah. I didn't know the jewel was here. I just wanted to make sure you were safe."

It seemed Gaara still had ultimate protection: Naruto's friendship.

A flash of white appeared outside the window and Gaara spun around. Naruto gasped. It was her. "She's here."

Gaara went for the door.

"Where are you going?" Naruto called after him.

"You have people you want to protect, Naruto. And so do I." As the Kazekage, Gaara had a responsibility. He had to protect his people.

* * *

This story is almost over. It's actually kind of short, isn't it? The next one may be the last chapter.

Please review!


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8:**

The Fox Girl and her followers wasted no time storming into the Sand Village. They ignored the humans in the street and continued up to the Kazekage building. Any ninja who tried to stop them were bitten or knocked down by the foxes, allowing their queen safe passage through the streets.

Gaara stood on the porch of his building and followed her movements with his eyes. Naruto stood beside him, watching the foxes clear a path for her. The Fox Girl jumped and soared over the buildings in her path and came to land right in front of Gaara who did not flinch.

"Where is it?!" she demanded in a dooming voice. "Where is my jewel?! Thief! Where is it?"

The door behind them opened and Shikamaru, Temari and several other ninja came to defend Gaara. Naruto blocked their path, waving his hands, silently asking them to stay away and not do anything. Shikamaru looked surprised to see Naruto in the Sand Village but not nearly as surprised to see him asking them to stand down. Naruto put a finger to his lips, his eyes warning them to stay away. Shikamaru nodded to the other ninja to do as he wished.

"Thief!" The Fox Girl snarled. "Thief!"

Naruto went back to Gaara's side and held up his hands in a surrendering motion. "Just a minute. Hang on a second."

The Fox Girl turned to him, her eyes gleaming.

Naruto kept his hands raised and bowed his head to her. "Sorry, but... Fox Girl... Gaara is not the one who took your jewel. He's a normal human. He's not the one you're looking for."

The Fox Girl still had a look of rage on her face, but she sniffed Gaara's body, trying to find some trace of raccoon on his person. Being surrounded by humans, she believed that this would help mask his true scent so there would be no way to tell him from another human if he were a raccoon. Which was another reason why she performed the kiss on any human who fit the age group. The raccoon would smell like a human.

"But we have good news," Naruto went on. "We found it. I have your jewel right here. If you don't attack Gaara, I'll bring it to you. I'll give it to you right now. Just a second."

Naruto walked backwards until he was inside the Kazekage office and went straight to the bookshelf. He grabbed the jewel and went back outside. He held up the jewel in his hand, showing her that he had it. He approached slowly, jewel in hand, and carefully held it out for her to take.

The Fox Girl's eyes lit up when she saw the jewel. To be sure it was the real thing, she sniffed it thoroughly before taking it in her mouth and placed it under her tongue.

"The raccoon that stole it is long gone, running scared," Naruto told her. "One of my friends picked it up and brought it here by mistake. And Gaara is the leader of this village. He would never steal from you."

The Fox Girl seemed pleased to have her jewel back. Naruto wondered if she was even listening to him.

"I found it and returned it to you, just like I said."

"Indeed you did." The Fox Girl smiled at him. "Thank you, Naruto." She turned to the Kazekage. "Gaara... I am sorry for the mistaken identity. My foxes told me that you looked like the thief. I shouldn't have been so rash."

"It's alright," said Gaara. "As long as you leave my village peacefully. There should be no need for anyone to fight. My people will let you go in peace if that is what you want."

Naruto bit his lip, hoping the Fox Girl would not take that as a threat.

She didn't seem upset and nodded her head. "We have no reason to harm you unless attacked ourselves. There will be no need."

The foxes were lined up below the building, watching them from below.

"Temari," said Gaara. "Could you go down and make sure the others know there is no need for anyone to get hurt. What they were looking for has been returned."

His sister nodded once. "Yeah, sure." She ran out of the room along with the other ninja to make sure the message was passed.

Overhead, a large bird was coming in for a landing. Naruto knew it had to be Sai and the others. He waved to them as they landed and the bird faded away. Lee lifted Nej onto his back and held him just like that.

Naruto looked to the Fox Girl. "Since you have the jewel back, can you please help Neji? Can you please return his soul?"

The Fox Girl looked him over and nodded. "Of course. I'll returned it right now."

She stepped over to Lee and Neji. Lee remained perfectly still, watching her with a concerned expression. She moved close to Neji's face and pressed her lips to his. As she pulled away, Naruto saw ghostly blue wisps leave her mouth and enter Neji's. Neji inhaled deeply, his whole body rising slightly and then coming to rest again as he exhaled.

To make sure, Naruto came over and touched Neji's hand. It was slightly cool, but it was warm. He could hear him breathing. He tapped Neji's forehead. "Neji?"

"Ngh."

He made a sound. Neji was alive. Naruto poked him again, just to be sure he wasn't imagining things. "Neji?"

Neji slapped his hand away. He buried his face in Lee's back, hiding from him.

"Ne-"

"Will you let me sleep for five minutes?!" Neji snapped, lifting his head to glare at him. "Unless it's important, I don't want to..." Neji blinked, looking around. His anger was replaced by confusion as he scanned the face of every person watching him. He looked around, trying to figure out where he was. "Uh... What happened? Why are we in the Sand Village?"

In his excitement, Lee dropped Neji on the ground and started cheering. "Neji is alright!" He bent down and lifted Neji up into a great big bear hug. "Neji! Neji! I am so happy you are-"

"Lee, stop that! Put me down! I can't breathe!"

Naruto was so relieved. Neji was alright. It had worked. Which meant that the Fox Girl could do the same thing to the other children and everyone would recover.

He looked back at the Fox Girl and saw that she was smiling at the reunion. She, too, was happy to see Neji alive and how much he meant to others.

"This means you can help those other kids, right, Fox Girl?"

She nodded.

"Thank you so much for bringing Neji back to us. Thanks so much." Naruto bowed in gratitude.

The Fox Girl touched Naruto's head with her paw. "Don't be so formal. I was happy to do it."

"Lee, stop hugging me and tell me what's going on!"

* * *

The Fox Girl kept her promise. She went to the first village and revived the children sealed in the orphanage. One by one, they all awoke and asked for breakfast. Sai and Neji agreed to stay with them until an Rikki showed up to take care of them. Naruto was going to tell him the good news and bring him back, knowing he would be happy taking care of the children once more. The Fox Girl then went to the next village and revived the children in the crypt. When they awoke, they were frightened finding themselves in a tomb and wanted to return home at once. Lee and Naruto escorted the children back to their families, who, needless to say, were shocked to see them alive and well. It was a tearful reunion and every adult wanted to know what had happened. Naruto quickly explained that the children weren't really dead and that it was a temporary state they were put in until a stolen jewel was recovered. Many didn't understand, but it didn't seem to matter to them. Everyone was too busy rejoicing to care about the details.

Naruto didn't want to tell them about the Fox Girl out of fear that they would go to the mountain and kill her, thinking she was dangerous and prevent this from ever happening again.

The Fox Girl remained in the mountain area, refusing to approach the humans in the village. She relied on Naruto to give an explanation. She never came close enough to give an apology, choosing instead to have the revival of the children be her way of making amends. When all the children were safely back home, she no longer had a reason to stay and started to leave.

"Thanks, Fox Girl."

She turned around once to look at Naruto's grinning face. She nodded to him and took off, moving like a white flame back to her home in the stone mountain.

"Was it ok for her to leave like that?" Lee asked, approaching Naruto from behind.

He nodded. "Yeah. Everyone's alive and everyone's soul has been returned. Why stay?" Naruto returned his bag to his back and faced Lee. "I have all my things from her place, the kids are fine, she has her jewel. Everything's been settled."

"Well, no everything."

Naruto grinned. "We'll take care of that now."

Naruto and Lee returned to the village and went to the mountain. Rikki was told the good news and that the children were safe to return home. When Naruto told him about the children from his home village, Rikki was so overjoyed, he started to cry.

All the children were released back to their families and the mountain was sealed for good. Everything inside vanished like magic and no trace remained. The children remembered the fun they had but none of them knew they were taken from their families. They didn't even know how long they had been gone. To them, only a few hours had passed. After not seeing their children for weeks and days, the worried parents scooped up their children and showered them with love. They asked where they had been and what had happened to them but the children could not give an answer.

Naruto watched the display of affection feeling a deep longing in his heart. If only he had someone who would embrace him like that upon his return. If only he had someone who would worry about him back home.

"So, Rikki," Naruto turned to the man with the flute. "I guess you'll be going home, right? Back to the kids in your village."

"I have to," said Rikki. "They need me. And I've missed them."

"Then we'll take you back there. Neji and Sai are watching them until you get back."

Lee turned to Rikki. "But what about the children whose parents have run off and left? What will happen to them?"

"I'll take care of them. If their parents return some day then that's wonderful. If not, then I will care for them like I do all the children who come to me. I don't mind the extra company."

Naruto and Lee took Rikki back to his home and reunited him with the children. Now their job was done and they would finally return home themselves. Naruto and the rest bid Rikki and the children farewell and began their long walk home.

"So... what was it like having your soul stolen?" Sai asked Neji.

Neji shrugged. "I have no idea. I never even knew it was taken. One second I'm in bed and the next Naruto's poking me and I wake up on Lee's back. I didn't know how I got there."

"I guess he wouldn't remember if he wasn't really there in the first place," said Naruto. "I just thought maybe you would feel your soul being taken or something."

"Not a thing." Neji frowned. "But... What was I like? Without a soul, I mean."

"Cold."

"Creepy."

"Quiet."

Naruto grinned. "So really no different from how you are normally."

Neji slapped Naruto in the back of the head.

* * *

Rikki was thrilled to have his beloved children back, alive and well. Now it was back to rushing around trying to make sure everyone had what they needed. He cooked for them, played with them, bathed them and tucked them in at night. For the first two evenings, he listened outside their room, making sure everything was alright. He even sat in their room, watching them sleep, just to be sure they were still alive. Soon he would get out of the habit, but for now it didn't hurt to be cautious.

The following morning, the children went outside to play, Rikki watching them closely as they ran and skipped. It seemed that his life had finally gotten back to normal.

Then he noticed some of the children gathered around something on the ground. Wondering what they had found, Rikki came over to check on them. The children were huddled around a small raccoon, trying to feed it some grass and leaves. "Stop that, children. Raccoons don't eat those things. Away from it. You don't know if it's going to bite you or not."

The children didn't want to leave the animal but when Rikki looked annoyed, they obediently dispersed.

Rikki bent down and looked at the raccoon, finding something familiar about it's round eyes. "Odd. You remind me of someone I met on my journey. The one who gave me a gift."

The raccoon sat up and nodded to him. "That's because I am the same one who gave you the gift."

Rikki did a double-take. "Did you just talk to me?"

"Sure did. I'm the one who gave you that flute."

Rikki looked down at his belt. "It was you..? But I could have sworn a human gave it to me."

"I can turn into a human, you know."

Rikki sat on the ground and spoke with the raccoon for a bit. "What's your name?"

"Chippy."

"So you gave me this flute. Why did you do that? Were you aware of its powers?"

"Of course I was. That's why I gave it to you. After seeing the stuff you went through, I thought this might help you out a bit."

Rikki took the flute off his belt. "Then I suppose it's only right that I return it to you."

"Nah, keep it. You never know when you might need it again. Like if they run off and you need to get them back. A lot more effective than just calling, if you ask me."

"Don't you want your flute back?" Rikki asked. "I don't think I'll need it again."

Chippy avoided his eyes. "The thing is, that flute isn't mine. I took it from some guy on the other side of that mountain."

Rikki looked at the flute. "You... stole this? From who?"

"I don't know. Some guy. He had a bunch of children with him so I figured the flute would work for you, too. Just like with him. But I'm sure he won't mind me borrowing it for a bit to give to you. He doesn't seem like the type of guy to get pissed off so easily. I doubt he's a vengeful kind of person."

* * *

The End!

Or is it? 0_0'

No, it is. It's the end.

This was pretty fun to write and I wanted to give a little shout-out to one of my favorite Brothers Grimm stories. Yup, you guessed it. The Pied Piper. ^-^ There's even a story about a fox girl, though not much is known about her or the story. Since not much is known about her other than her being a fox that can disguise itself as a human girl and her looking for something that was taken from her long as, why not make something up? Fill in the gaps of what could be a good story. Basically that's all there is to her tale. There isn't really a tale anyway, so... yeah. So I figured, why not combine the two into some sort of story that might make some sense. I mean, why can't two different stories go well together cohesively?

I hope you enjoyed it.

See you next time with another fanfiction! ^-^


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